Library Impact
-
Mayor Wilson Announces 2026 Library Levy Proposal
You may have seen The Seattle Public Library in the news today. At 12:30 p.m., Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson spoke from the Central Library’s Level 10 Betty Jane Narver Reading Room to announce a proposal for a $410 million Library Levy that would provide funding for The Seattle Public Library over seven years, from 2027… Continue reading
-
Read George Takei’s Graphic Memoir with the West Coast’s Biggest Book Club
We have good news for Seattle readers! This spring, The Seattle Public Library invites you to take part in One Book, One Coast, a shared reading initiative connecting more than 140 library systems across California, Oregon, and Washington, including more than a dozen in Washington State alone. Organized by LA County Library, One Book, One… Continue reading
-
Cooking Up a Roti-Related Business, With Help from the Library
In late 2024, when Komal Kashiramka decided to “take the plunge” to leave a corporate job and start a business in the food industry, she sought out helpful (and low cost) resources for entrepreneurs. The Seattle Public Library was not one of the places she originally thought to look. But the business research tools she… Continue reading
-
Impact Story: When a Children’s Author Comes to Town
The benefits of reading for kids are well-known: literacy, language skills, empathy. But on a winter morning at Seattle’s John Rogers Elementary, a group of 40 fourth and fifth grade readers are showing something else: pure, unadulterated excitement. The students are crowded on the floor of the school library for a talk from Ernesto Cisneros,… Continue reading
-
Explore Your Family’s History with Expanded Library Genealogy Programs
Before Sonia’s grandmother passed away, she passed along a host of family stories that Sonia has spent years researching. She has found marriage records, newspaper articles, and other documents that provide conflicting information — and has run into repeated brick walls, especially regarding her ancestors who were enslaved. Sonia knew she needed some assistance with… Continue reading
-
Never Underestimate the Power of a Read-In: The Broadview Branch at 50
In late May of 1972, a small ad appeared in the classifieds section of the University District-Herald, a community newspaper in Northeast Seattle: “Broadview & Haller Lake: Want a library at 130th & Greenwood? Join us for a “READ IN” on Thursday, June 1, 3 p.m. Bring Friends!” The ad was just four lines, but… Continue reading
-
How the Library Preserves and Promotes Seattle’s History
There are more than 100,000 items in The Seattle Public Library’s Special Collections. The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room, on Level 10 of the Central Library, houses extensive collections of photographs, postcards, city documents, news articles, and maps. There are oral histories from Seattle residents, menus from notable restaurants, yearbooks from Seattle schools, works by… Continue reading
-
Photo Album: Celebrating 50 Years of Community at Douglass-Truth
On Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, the Douglass-Truth Branch was jamming. Neighbors, families, community leaders, elders, and library staff filled every corner of the branch at 2300 E. Yesler Way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its community-chosen name. Almost exactly a half-century earlier, on Dec. 5, 1975, the branch was renamed in honor of abolitionists… Continue reading
-
‘Leveling the Playing Field’: How the Library Supports Nonprofits
As the year winds down, many of us will support nonprofits that make a difference in our communities. The Library is proud that we also support these community organizations by offering a range of free tools and resources to help nonprofits launch and grow. “We are seeing more nonprofits use our services,” says Jay Lyman,… Continue reading
-
“The Librarians” Takes You to the Front Lines of Democracy
“I never imagined that what’s happening right now could ever happen. It didn’t dawn on us that we would come under attack.” In the opening scene in the documentary “The Librarians,” a woman sits, her face obscured for anonymity. She is a school librarian, telling the story of what happened in Texas in 2021, after… Continue reading
-
Power of Community: Celebrating 50 Years of “Douglass-Truth”
A half-century ago, the Central District came together to rename its library to reflect its community. On Saturday, Dec. 13, from noon to 5 p.m., all of Seattle is invited to celebrate this milestone at the Douglass-Truth Branch, and honor its rich community histories. The branch library opened in 1914, but it didn’t become the… Continue reading
-
‘The Secret Lives of Library Books’ — Seattle Times Follows the Journey of a Hold
Every wonder how your library holds “magically” appear at your branch? Seattle Times reporter Sara Jean Green and photographer Karen Ducey explored this question by diving into a behind-the-scenes story of how millions of books travel around our region each year to serve the needs of our region’s Library users. Sara and Karen joined SPL… Continue reading
-
LEAP Interns 2025: What We Learned at the Library
This summer, The Seattle Public Library was thrilled to have Jesse and Gideon join us as part of a multi-week summer paid program focused on career preparation for Washington’s blind and visually impaired young people. They helped out in the Library Equal Access Program (LEAP), made zines that are being added to the ZAPP collection,… Continue reading
-
Books Unbanned: 1 Million Checkouts
In 2022, Brooklyn Public Library launched Books Unbanned to provide access to digital books for young people impacted by censorship. The Seattle Public Library joined in 2023, with our foundation generously funding the program. Three and a half years after Brooklyn’s big idea, The Books Unbanned coalition has grown to six libraries. For Banned Books… Continue reading
-
“Beautiful New Worlds”: Biggest Book Bingo Yet
Summer might seem like forever ago, but we’re briefly revisiting the season of blackberries and beach reads for an official wrap-up of Summer Book Bingo 2025, which ended just over a month ago. We’ve done the numbers. We’ve tallied the boards, the books and the blackouts. And we have news. In the 11th year of… Continue reading
-
Celebrating Banned Books Week and More October 2025 Events
Grab your favorite banned or challenge book and help us celebrate the freedom during Banned Books Week, which takes place from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11 this year. We’ll have a read-in, programs highlighting the impact of censorship and displays. Plus, you can stop by your favorite neighborhood library and pick up a “Read What… Continue reading
-
Nourishing Minds Toolkit Equips Libraries to Support Teen Mental Health
“Library workers are highly skilled at reaching teenagers through many kinds of programming, but many library staff find it a challenge to talk about mental health,” said Luis Gonsalez, The Seattle Public Library’s Digital Media & Learning Program Manager. To address this gap, Luis and other SPL staff have been working with libraries across the… Continue reading
-
Why Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Tessa Hulls Loves the Library
“I am an artist, writer and adventurer, and the library is one of my favorite places in the world,” said Tessa Hulls while at the International District-Chinatown Branch recently. You might know Tessa as the (sometimes) Seattle-based author and illustrator of the graphic memoir, “Feeding Ghosts,” which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Memoir/Autobiography earlier… Continue reading