You may not be able to fully appreciate the depth of The Seattle Public Library’s Special Collections until you see it for yourself. That’s partly the inspiration behind the Cabinet of Curiosities now presented to the public on Level 10 of the Central Library, next to the Seattle Room. The Library possesses thousands of rare … Continued

When Seattle’s population exploded at the turn of the 20th century, in the wake of the Klondike Gold Rush, subdivisions were platted, and streets were built at a furious clip. As the resident count swelled from 43,000 in 1890 to 237,000 in 1910, city leaders realized that they needed to build a parks system in … Continued

Carolyn Fairbanks of Madison Park opened her Library account six years ago upon moving to Seattle with a stop at the Central Library. “I’ve since never set foot in one,” she says. Yet she’s an avid Library patron, evangelizing its collection among her fellow bridge players. Fairbanks calls herself a “virtual user,” relying on the … Continued

When 30-year-old pregnant mother of four, Charleena Lyles, was fatally shot by police in her North Seattle apartment in 2017 during a reported mental health crisis, Library staff sought to explore ways to help her community. The apartment complex where she lived, managed by the nonprofit Solid Ground, supplies permanent housing to people who previously … Continued

Jed Fowler says you don’t need to be a brainiac to volunteer at Homework Help. As a longtime Homework Helper, he says his role consists of “part cheerleader, part coach, part road block diagnostics. “Sometimes it’s about the homework, sometimes it’s about the helping,” he says. Homework Help is an after-school drop-in program for K-12 … Continued

Anyone living in Seattle 30 years ago or earlier will remember Frederick & Nelson, the retail institution whose flagship department store in Seattle once served as one-stop shopping and a cultural hub. From its tearoom to its beauty salon to its nursery to the annual photos with Santa Claus, Frederick & Nelson was a commercial … Continued

Atticus Diaz, 7, has enjoyed the Library his entire life. His mother, Kiersten Henderson, prepared to give birth to him by checking out baby DVDs from The Seattle Public Library. Today, Atticus visits the Library – usually the Ballard Branch – to check out books with his dad and browse magazines like “National Geographic.” “I … Continued

We regret to share news of a loss in our Library Foundation family. On Aug. 7, we lost pioneering Library leader Macon “Mimi” Howard at age 83. Mimi served as a trustee of The Seattle Public Library from 1982 to 1992, then as a member of The Seattle Public Library Foundation’s Board of Directors from … Continued

This story originally appeared in the Foundation’s 2018 Report to Donors. Find the full publication here. Brandon Wong and Many Uch are volunteers who run an advocacy group for currently and formerly incarcerated Asian-Pacific Islanders across the state. But when they partnered with the Library, they connected with resources that could advance their cause – … Continued