On Thursday, August 4, Chief Librarian Tom Fay visited The Seattle Public Library’s High Point Branch for the first of what will be a series of Community Conversations with patrons about the future of the Library.
These discussions, which will be held at Library locations in neighborhoods across Seattle in 2022 and 2023, give patrons the chance to speak directly to the chief librarian about their experiences using the Library and about how the Library can better serve them now and in the years to come. What we hear from patrons during Community Conversations will inform the Library’s long-term planning and help shape its strategic direction.
As patrons made their way to the meeting room at High Point that hosted the conversation, helping themselves to coffee and a cookie and settling in, Fay began the conversation with a short presentation. He shared the ongoing impacts of the pandemic on Library staffing, services and schedules, as well as the recent spate of heat-related closures at Library branches without air conditioning.
Fay thanked patrons for their patience with these disruptions and identified some of the steps we are taking to prevent unexpected closures or schedule changes at neighborhood libraries. To increase the Library system’s resilience to extreme heat, we are installing air conditioning at our Green Lake, University and Columbia branches during their upcoming seismic retrofits; accelerating the City-funded installation of air conditioning at our Northeast and Southwest branches; and seeking federal funding for air conditioning at the few remaining Library branches without it. We also created spl.org/Today so patrons can keep track of any changes to library schedules.
In an update about the current status of Library programs and services, Fay also shared the good news that Homework Help, the Library’s beloved after-school tutoring program, will return to the High Point Branch and five other neighborhood libraries in September. Homework Help is a free, drop-in program that provides in-person academic support for K-12 students on weekday afternoons and evenings. Once the details are finalized, Homework Help locations and schedules will be posted online at spl.org/StudentSuccess.
After his presentation, Fay invited a wide-ranging discussion from High Point patrons. Patrons expressed their appreciation for the availability of curbside service during while the High Point Branch was closed to the public, and for the Library’s investments in expanding our collection of digital materials.
Patrons also noted challenges they’ve experienced in using the Library during the impact, such as not being able to use the branch’s free meeting spaces for groups and neighborhood organizations (all meeting rooms and study rooms are again open to the public). Another patron remarked how much she had missed being able to visit the branch with her children for story times or just browse and be around other people.
Fay discussed how the Library continues to evolve to be a safe and welcoming “third space” away from home and work, and remains one of the few places in Seattle where people can go to read, relax or be with others, “no purchase required,” and how increasingly important this is for vulnerable patrons who may lack permanent shelter or be at greater risk from extreme heat, wildfire smoke and other impacts of climate change.
After the Community Conversation officially wrapped up, patrons continued to ask questions and let Fay know what they hoped to see from the Library in the years ahead, including more 24-hour pickup lockers like those at the High Point and Rainier Beach branches, and other self-serve options that make it easier to access Library materials after hours; more reservable copies of digital materials in our collection; and the return of in-person programming like children’s story times.
Help Us Shape the Future of the Library!
The next Community Conversation will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the Rainier Beach Branch, and additional conversations will be held at other locations this year and throughout 2023. These events will be added to the Community Conversations page of the Library’s website as their dates and times are determined.
Patrons who would prefer to provide feedback online to the Library about current and future services can also share their thoughts on the Community Conversations page.
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