More than 12,800 people, including theatre aficionados, middle and high school students, seniors, and families, visited the Central Library between March 21 and April 17 to see First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare. Support from donors to the Foundation made it possible for the Library to host the exhibit. For many visitors, … Continued

The Rainier Beach Branch, which had been closed since August 2015 for building maintenance and interior renovations, is now re-opened! The renovation project included replacing the roof on an older section of the building; installing beautiful new carpet, paint and furniture; and creating more flexible and useful spaces for children, teens, adults and families. The … Continued

In November, the Foundation helped the Library host Startup Weekend EDU, which brought together a community of people focused on solving problems related to education. Our business librarians were available all weekend to provide reference and research support to 90 education technology entrepreneurs. During the first session, all participants — college students, educators, designers, engineers, … Continued

Kazuhiro “Kazu” Kibuishi is a Japanese–American graphic novel author and illustrator who is a rock star for young readers. Donations to the Foundation helped bring Kazu to the Central Library and helped several public schools arrange field trips to hear him talk about his books. Here’s a letter we received soon after the event from … Continued

Two hundred and eighty first graders from four Seattle public elementary schools in the Rainier Valley visited the Central Library in November as part of a Foundation-funded effort to encourage reading. The classes came by bus and spent the day at the Library, enjoying a special tour, program, and scavenger hunt. At the end of the … Continued

The goal of the Creative Aging project was to bring older adults into the Library to gain new skills and improve their quality of life. This project served as a pilot to test the concept of the Library as an active learning center and its ability to work more intensively with seniors in their neighborhoods. Foundation … Continued

Are you planning to buy books for holiday gift giving? Here are some thoughts from Library staff on what they’d like to give and receive for the holidays. Linda Johns, Adult Services Librarian, wants to give “Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl” by Carrie Brownstein. She says, “I’d love this memoir no matter what, but … Continued

The 2015 Washington State Book Awards were announced on Saturday, October 10 at a special ceremony at the Central Library.  In case you missed the announcement, here are the winners along with links to reserve them in the Library catalog.  Your support helps the Foundation continue the tradition of honoring our state’s best writers. Fiction: … Continued

Children and teens got a really wild prize for participating in the Library’s Summer of Learning program this year – free passes to the Woodland Park Zoo! This weekend the zoo welcomed 4,800 children and families for a free day of fun and learning. Your support of the Foundation helped families from across the city … Continued