In 2024, hula students in northwest Seattle were looking for a place to learn the culture and dance of hula together. They found their answer at The Seattle Public Library’s Broadview Branch.
“I was at the branch one day and noticed that they had a meeting room and asked if it was OK to reserve it,” remembers Nolette, a retired schoolteacher and student with Hālau Nāpuaokaleimaoliola, as the group is known. “Then I found out we can do this every week.”
They began regularly booking the free meeting space to hold livestream lessons, using the room’s technology — computer monitor and free Wi-Fi — to connect to teachers in Hawaii. Two years later, the group is going strong.
“The personal interaction in the meeting room is the value of what we learn as we learn hula,” Nolette says. “It’s amazing to be able to do this together.”
When we think about libraries, we tend to think about books, computers, printers, online resources, reference help, and programs. But physical library buildings provide another unsung but essential service: free spaces for community members to gather.
The Library offers free reservable meeting rooms at 22 branches, which are booked close to 1,000 times a month by patrons for a extraordinary variety of reasons: birthday celebrations; bluegrass jams; art workshops; guitar practice; fiber arts groups; tutoring sessions; puzzle swaps; club meetings from Girl Scouts to mutual aid; writing circles; “slow stitchers,” book groups; caregiver support groups; acting rehearsals; and study sessions – to name a few.
When patrons book our branch meeting rooms, they commit to keeping their events open to other members of the public as room capacity allows. You can book these spaces by visiting www.spl.org/meetingrooms.
Puzzle swaps and creative gatherings
“Providing free public space for people to gather is an important function of our public libraries,” said Tom Fay, Executive Director and Chief Librarian of The Seattle Public Library. “In an era when loneliness is often described as an epidemic, we can be all encouraged that community and connection is flourishing in the everyday gatherings held in our meeting spaces.”
Becky is a Library staff member who – on her personal time — co-organizes a quarterly puzzle swap event at the High Point Branch meeting room. She notes that the in-person swaps have resulted in friendships that extend beyond the gatherings. “Library meeting rooms made it possible for our group, which was previously low-contact and virtual, to come together,” she comments. “It really illustrates how important it is to have community spaces for people to gather, share ideas, hobbies, and interests.”
“The joy of having a meeting room available for painting and letting artists gather to discuss the topic of interest is such a gift,” a West Seattle Branch patron recently wrote on a comment card. “There are no other venues for gathering local creative citizens who want to create such an artist community.”
Extension of a time-honored third place
The public library is a time-honored “third place” – as sociologist Ray Oldenburg defined such spaces that “host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work.” Anyone can visit a library, no purchase required, and use the space to read, use services, browse, study, get help, and hang out.
Free meeting rooms are an invaluable extension of the Library as third place: a dedicated space for groups to meet, with amenities that make in-person gatherings successful: tables, chairs, whiteboards, monitors (in some locations), W-Fi, and more.
Gatherings held in meeting rooms lead to other library connections. A young person attending a Girl Scout meeting or tutoring session might stop by the children’s section on their way in; a mutual aid group might ask a reference librarian for help with resources.
The hula group’s regular gatherings at the Broadview Branch have resulted in another special library connection: two successful public programs. In October 2025, when Hālau Nāpuaokaleimaoliola’s teachers visited Seattle, the teachers and students performed hula in a public program at the branch to an audience of 50.
In July 2026, they held an even bigger program, bringing in performers from Seattle-based Hokulani Hula, who teach some members of the group at another venue. Teachers and students performed and shared Polynesian cultures at a multigenerational community celebration that drew a crowd of 150.
“I was astonished at how the dance and information covered not only Hawaii, but Tahiti, New Zealand, and other places,” recalls Broadview Branch librarian Alan Jacobson. “I felt like I was at the Seattle Center.”
“There was such a good feeling from the audience,” says hula student Nolette, who helped organize the performance. “That’s what this is all about, sharing culture with people in the community.”
More information about branch meeting rooms and study rooms
- Meeting rooms: Meeting rooms are available at no charge at 22 branches, and can be reserved up to 60 days in advance online. Meetings must be for non-commercial use and open to all members of the public. Please note that the Library does not promote patron-hosted events or activities conducted in public meeting rooms. Please read the Branch Meeting Room Guidelines and the Promotional Requirements for Private Events and Meetings before booking a room. All Library facilities are accessible to people with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Study rooms: The Library also offers 37 free, private study rooms at 17 Library branches, which provide many of the same benefits of meeting rooms on a smaller scale. Patrons can find out about these spaces and how they can be reserved by contacting Library staff at locations with study rooms. A full list is available on our website.
- Central Library spaces: The Central Library also has a variety of rooms and spaces you can rent for meetings and other events.
Caption for top photo: Students and teachers with Hālau Nāpuaokaleimaoliola at the Broadview Branch.
– Elisa M. Communications