Seventy-two schools. Nine semi-final showdowns. And it all culminated with madness in March at the Central Library, for the return of the Global Reading Challenge City Finals! The longtime program, supported by Foundation donors, provides more than 8,000 books for fourth- and fifth-graders at Seattle Public Schools, who form trivia teams and compete using their … Continued

The Genealogy Collection of The Seattle Public Library aims to provide patrons with access to resources that expand their knowledge of their family history. These resources are increasingly available at the Library for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities thanks to the dedicated efforts of genealogy librarians. In 2022, Foundation support helped add … Continued

The Seattle Public Library Foundation joins the literary community, locally and internationally, in mourning the loss of Jonathan Raban. Jonathan was an acclaimed travel writer and novelist, and an iconic Seattleite. He was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, the Governor’s Award of the State of Washington, and The Stranger Genius Award … Continued

The Lake City Branch was full of students of all ages on a rainy Tuesday evening. Homework Help, the donor-supported afterschool program, was back in-person. Tim, a longtime Homework Help volunteer tutor, said that demand has been high each evening since the program resumed in September. He recently increased his volunteer time from one to … Continued

As part of our shared advocacy work, the Foundation and the Friends of the Seattle Public Library invited candidates running in Seattle’s Washington State Legislative Districts to take a short survey about library issues. Below are the responses from the newly elected members of the State House of Representatives for the 46th, 37th, and 36th … Continued

Reading aloud is key for early literacy. Studies show that seeing and hearing words simultaneously improves vocabulary and reading rates. This is especially important for children with disabilities, English-language learners, and others with barriers to reading. “Read-Alongs” are MP3-enabled picture books that read aloud at the push of a button. And thanks to donor support, … Continued

South End Stories, an anti-racist arts education program founded by Donte Felder and his team, including his father, Dr. Donald Felder, celebrates the importance of storytelling and playful learning. This is especially important for public school students who don’t engage as well with traditional classroom instruction. This year, they partnered with the Library to plan … Continued

The Seattle Public Library is in a period of transition—both in how it operates in the aftermath of COVID-19, and under the leadership of a new Executive Director and Chief Librarian, Tom Fay. Tom was unanimously selected by the SPL Board of Trustees in March, after serving as Interim Chief Librarian since April 2021. He … Continued

As demand for social connections surged among immigrant and refugee communities during the pandemic, the Library turned to a trusted partner organization, Literacy Source. The donor-supported English Conversation Circle program helps non-native English speakers increase language skills and develop cultural competencies. It aims to build abilities that can help participants accomplish their goals, whether in … Continued