Want an excuse to get to know your neighborhood libraries better? Or perhaps you need a cool library-themed bookmark as you sink into fall reading?
In honor of Library Card Sign-Up Month (September), The Seattle Public Library is inviting Seattle residents to learn about their neighborhood libraries and how they’re here for you through a series of collectible postcards, one for each library in our system.
Local artists collaborated with the Library to design the postcards to highlight the art, architecture, collections and programs that make each location special.
Stop by your local branch (except for the University Branch to pick up a postcard. Just ask at the circulation desk. Surprise a friend or loved one, send one in service of a cause you believe in, use them creatively, and collect them!
Don’t forget to pick up an envelope-style jacket for your postcard with spaces to collect branch-specific stamps in certain categories. (Note these are ink stamps, not postage stamps. :))
The postcard designs are a blend of original art, photography and descriptions, highlighting library features and programs, including:
- The Beacon Hill Branch’s Dream Ship art and weekly Conversation Circles;
- the Broadview Branch’s art and architecture, influenced by Native American longhouse design;
- the Central Library’s spaces, including the Red Floor, music practice rooms and gallery spaces;
- the Douglass-Truth Branch’s African American Collection, with more than 10,000 items, created in partnership with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Delta Upsilon Omega Chapter;
- a seed library and puzzle lending library at the High Point Branch;
- a design at the Magnolia Branch that captures the feeling of being outside, including furniture by master craftsman George Nakashima
- the Northgate Branch’s comfy rocking chairs and colorful outdoor art
Where to pick up a University Branch postcard: Because the University Branch is currently closed for renovation, you’ll need to pick up that postcard at nearby locations. Starting next week, however, you can stop by a “stamp station” located outside the branch (corner of Ninth Ave N.E. and NE 50th Street) to stamp your postcard or jacket.
Find out more about the campaign and the many ways that The Seattle Public Library is here for you at www.spl.org/HereForYou.
We’d love to hear what you think and how you’re putting library postcards to work. Reach out at www.spl.org/Ask.
About the artists
Three wonderful local artists collaborated to create the Library postcards: Multidisciplinary artist Jeremy Goodie; Seattle-born visual artist Sloane Miller; and first-generation, Mexican-American artist and illustrator Victoria Urrutia. Find more information on the postcard artists on our website.
Get a Library card
No library card? No problem. You can apply at any Library location, or online in minutes at www.spl.org/Card. The form is available in five languages. Seattle Public Schools students and teachers can also get instant access to the Library’s digital resources and collections without a Library card through our Library Link program at www.spl.org/LibraryLink.