News & Stories
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Museum Pass Program Currently Paused
June 11, 2025 update: As of today, our Museum Pass program has restarted! Go to www.spl.org/MuseumPass to find out more and to make your reservation. The Seattle Public Library’s popular Museum Pass program, which offers Library cardholders free admission to participating museums and cultural organizations, is paused temporarily. In December 2024, the vendor we used… Continue reading
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History Matters: Acclaimed Historian Talks Reconstruction at the Central Library on Dec. 5
On Thursday, Dec. 5, award-winning historian Dr. Manisha Sinha will come to the Central Library to give The Seattle Public Library’s annual Bullitt Lecture in American History, based on her book “The Rise and the Fall of the Second American Republic.” In her book, Sinha argues that the post-Civil War period of Reconstruction – what… Continue reading
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Rock Your Mocs! Native Youth Reading Challenge, Empowering Indigenous Voices Through Storytelling
This October the Native Youth Reading Challenge began, celebrating Native voices and connecting young readers with stories that reflect their heritage. The Challenge was created by a team of educators from public and tribal schools and libraries in Washington, and was officially launched at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center by the United Indians of… Continue reading
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Paging All Kids: Global Reading Challenge Books Announced
Fourth and fifth graders around Seattle are buzzing with book news: The Library has just unveiled the Global Reading Challenge books for 2024-25 on our website at www.spl.org/GlobalReadingChallenge. For those new to the program, the Global Reading Challenge, now in its 30th year, is a reading incentive program for fourth and fifth graders enrolled in… Continue reading
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Have a Laugh With These 4 Funny Books
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” by Rufi Thorpe proves that other people’s problems can be pretty funny — as long as they’re narrated by a chaotic heroine who is wisecracking and whip-smart. Nineteen-year-old Margo Millet was not exactly set up for success with a flighty mother and an absentee, former wrestling star father. But when Margo… Continue reading
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LEAP Interns: What We Learned at the Library
This summer, the Library was thrilled to have Marcos and Mohammed 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 LEAP department, made zines that are being added to the ZAPP collection, and learned a lot about… Continue reading
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The Historic Green Lake Branch Reopens, Cooler and Safer Than Ever
“It’s beautiful!” “I love it!” “We were waiting and waiting and waiting, and we’re so happy to be back!” At 10:00 a.m. yesterday, just after The Seattle Public Library Board President Dr. W. Tali Hairston cut the ribbon to officially reopen the Green Lake Branch, a small crowd of neighbors, City officials and Library leaders… Continue reading
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4 More Surprising Things You Can Do Through the Library
In September, we published an article in the Seattle Times (and on this blog!) that shared insider tips from Library staff about cool, lesser-known Library services or collections. Since we couldn’t begin to fit all of the ideas in one article, here’s an encore, shared by staff in a variety of roles. (Share your ideas… Continue reading
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6 Books by Artists at the 2024 Short Run Comix Festival
Now in its 12th year, the annual Short Run Comix Festival, which takes place on Nov. 2 at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion, celebrates the fusion of art and literature in the ever-expanding medium of comics. Free and open to the public, Short Run showcases hundreds of emerging and established artists from the Pacific Northwest and… Continue reading
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Election Resources and Accessible Voting at SPL
With less than three weeks to go before Election Day on November 5, 2024, the Library has registration events, booklists, and other informational resources to help inform you on the voting process. Don’t forget to check out this list of Election Resources on the library website for ballot box locations, lists of elected officials, and… Continue reading
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Fall Arts Events: Angela Garbes, Lindy West, Rachel Kushner and More!!
As fall weather sets in, it’s a good time to mark your calendar with a few of The Seattle Public Library’s exceptional arts and author events in the next couple of months. Gear up for the election with a live “Text Me Back” podcast taping with Lindy West, learn about the connection between homelessness and… Continue reading
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Library Impact: A Dementia-Friendly Concert Series at the Memory Hub
On a Monday afternoon in mid-August, a spacious courtyard on Seattle’s First Hill is alive with flowers, music, dancing and quiet conversation. It is cloudy, but the mood is all sunshine at the Memory Hub, a dementia-specific community center on the Frye Museum campus founded by the University of Washington Memory and Brain Wellness Center.… Continue reading
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“That is the Biggest Reward”: Q&A With a Longtime Homework Help Volunteer
Bruce Finlayson is a retired chemical engineer who has volunteered with Homework Help, The Seattle Public Library’s after-school tutoring program, for about 11 years, always at the Lake City Branch. Until 2019, he kept a diary about his volunteer experience, in which he would write stories about his interactions with the students. “There were times… Continue reading
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10 Surprising Things that You Can Do Through The Seattle Public Library
You probably know that you can borrow books, use public computers and even reserve meeting rooms, all for free, through the Seattle Public Library. But did you also know that you can access digital newspapers and magazines, streaming services, job resources and personal tutoring in three languages? In honor of Library Card Sign-Up Month this… Continue reading