News & Stories
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May and June 2026 Author and Community Events
The Seattle Public Library’s May and June calendar is blooming with author and community programs. Find more book-related events, including a variety of book and writing programs, in our Books and Authors calendar. All Library events are free and open to the public. Many of these events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and… Continue reading
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24 Checkouts a Minute: The Library’s 2025 Impact Report
How did our community use the Library in 2025? Hot off the digital presses, our 2025 Impact Report paints a picture of The Seattle Public Library’s impact in numbers and stories. While the Impact Report shows a record number of active patrons and growing participation in programs, as Chief Librarian Tom Fay noted, “it is… Continue reading
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4 Nonfiction Reads for International Workers’ Day 2026
Since the establishment of International Workers’ Day in 1889, May 1 has been an important date for labor unions, immigrant rights advocates and organizations that strive to advance the cause of workers’ rights. Ahead of International Workers’ Day, we invite readers to explore the past, present and future of the labor movement, including an overview of American labor history, a deep dive into anti-racist activism in Seattle, an interrogation of the very concept of solidarity and a… Continue reading
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Find Your Library Joy – Evening Magazine Reports from the Central Library
Tuesday, April 21 was an especially fun day at the Central Library. King 5’s Evening Magazine spent a few hours at the Library filming a story in honor of National Library Week. Host (and Almost Live alum) Chris Cashman interviewed our head of Library Experience and Engagement Kai Tang, visited the art gallery and music… Continue reading
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‘Shining a Light on our Common Humanity’: Living with Conviction Exhibit
An exhibit showcasing photographic portraits and stories of formerly incarcerated individuals struggling to rebuild their lives under the burden of court-ordered debt is now on display at the Central Library’s Level 8 Gallery. A satellite exhibit opens at the Green Lake Branch gallery on April 26. “Living with Conviction: Sentenced to Debt for Life in Washington State” displays around… Continue reading
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Pacific Science Center Returns to the Museum Pass Program
Get ready for butterflies, spiders (!), a makerspace, planetarium, and more. For the first time since COVID, the Pacific Science Center, one of Seattle’s favorite indoor spaces, is participating in the Library’s Museum Pass program! Museum Pass offers Library cardholders free admission to 17 participating museums and cultural organizations. The Pacific Science Center is offering… Continue reading
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Three Thousand Cheers for Reading: Global Reading Challenge 2026 in the Books
On Tuesday, March 31, with an electric crowd cheering at every opportunity, a team of fourth graders from John Stanford International School became the 31st Global Reading Challenge city champions. With a sweet team name — the Global Bananana Pancake Group — the Stanford students scored a whopping 115 out of 120 points. They were… Continue reading
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One Book, One Coast: Explore Stories of Japanese American Incarceration and Resistance
This spring, The Seattle Public Library is participating in the first-ever One Book, One Coast program – the West Coast’s biggest book club. Now, we’re excited to share the final details of the programs we have planned. Through May, more than 190 library systems across California, Oregon, and Washington are encouraging millions of library readers… Continue reading
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April and May 2026 Author and Community Events at the Library
Author and community programs are blooming at the Library this spring, from an evening with famed audiobook narrator Julia Whelan to One Book, One Coast programs that reframe and retell the history of Japanese American incarceration. All Library events are free and open to the public. Many of these events are supported by The Seattle… Continue reading
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University Branch Project Reaches Major Milestone
In our October 2025 University Branch update, we highlighted the significant progress made on the seismic retrofit of the branch, including the installation of reinforced shear walls at critical support points, which extend from the ceiling through the basement. Seismic Retrofit Complete! In this update, we are excited to announce that the seismic retrofit of… Continue reading
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Listen to This Podcast: KUOW Book Talk With Coll Thrush
What do Pacific Northwest shipwrecks have to do with settler colonialism? Author and historian Coll Thrush recently published a book, “Wrecked: Unsettling Histories from the Graveyard of the Pacific,” which explores this topic through six years of extensive research. He shared his findings in a recent KUOW Book Talk at the Central Library, in conversation… Continue reading
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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
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Spring 2026 Author and Community Events at the Library
Author and community programs are blooming at the Library this spring, from a KUOW Book Talk with Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe about “Thunder Song” on March 23, to an evening with famed audiobook narrator Julia Whelan on April 15, to two One Book, One Coast events with local authors that reframe and retell the history of… Continue reading
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Learn About the Hidden Histories of Native American Activism on March 10
“How can a nation founded on the homelands of dispossessed Indigenous peoples be the world’s most exemplary democracy?” That is the question that opens Dr. Ned Blackhawk’s “The Rediscovery of America,” which won the 2023 National Book Award in Nonfiction. The Library is honored to have Dr. Blackhawk present this year’s annual Bullitt Lecture in… Continue reading
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The Seattle Public Library responds to Feb. 23 Urbanist article
Dear patrons and community, Some of you may have read or heard about a Feb. 23 article published by the Urbanist regarding implementation of The Seattle Public Library’s Community Use Agreement under the supervision of Library Environment and Security Manager Andrea “Andee” Walton. The Library has significant concerns about the claims made in the article… Continue reading
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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
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6 Books That Speak to Midwinter Moods
“The Pacific Northwest has a cold like no other place. It seeps through your clothes and keeps you cold like your own personal ghost had moved in.” — Neko Case, “The Harder I Fight the More I Love You.” For some Seattleites, February is a time for sojourns to sunnier locales. For those who stay… Continue reading
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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