Programs & Services
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Upgrading and Modernizing the Library’s Integrated Library System (ILS)
We are excited to announce that The Seattle Public Library is preparing to transition to a new, modern integrated library system (ILS), which is critical operational infrastructure for Library collections and services. This major project was a promise we made to Seattle residents in the 2019 Library Levy and is an important part of our… Continue reading
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Air Conditioning Coming to the Fremont and West Seattle Branches
Air conditioning is coming to the Fremont and West Seattle branches! This work is part of the Library’s larger Cooling Center Project, which is providing air conditioning and improved ventilation to the Library’s Carnegie buildings, allowing them to serve as shelters from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, preventing unscheduled closures during hot weather, and significantly… Continue reading
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The Northgate Branch Celebrates 20 Years of Community Connection
What makes a library essential to its community? 95-year-old Harry Coles, who has been a patron of the Northgate Branch since it opened in 2006, has an answer. “In all the years that I have gone to libraries, this is the friendliest, the cleanest, and the nicest,” he says. Harry is among many Northgate patrons… Continue reading
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Listen Up: Looking at Seattle’s Love of E-Audiobooks
Have you become an e-audiobook convert in recent years? Perhaps you’ve discovered the appeal of full-cast recordings, the satisfaction of making your way through a book while walking or weeding, or the joy of being read to by Meryl Streep. If so, you’re in good company. The Seattle Public Library’s e-audiobook checkouts have more than… Continue reading
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Summer 2026 Author and Community Events
Stay cool and cultured by attending one of the Library’s author and community events this summer, including a conversation between KUOW’s Katie Campbell and cabin-builder Patrick Hutchison, an evening with science fiction author with Rebecca Roanhorse, and a Book Bingo silent reading party at the Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater. Also check out Summer Quest, our… Continue reading
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From Library Kid to Book Bingo Artist: Vivian Li
Comics artist, zine maker, and illustrator Vivian Li fell in love with Book Bingo on her second day living in Seattle. It was July of 2018, and she stopped at The Seattle Public Library’s Queen Anne Branch for a break after hiking up Queen Anne hill. A longtime fan of summer reading programs, she immediately… Continue reading
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Start Your Summer Quest: Read, Do, Go, and Win
Summer has a new name at the Library! Launching today, Summer Quest is an all-ages program that encourages reading, discovery, and exploration all summer long. Head to your closest Library location, or to www.spl.org/SummerQuest, to pick up your Summer Quest activity tracker, which challenges kids, teens, and adults to log 30 days of Read, Do,… Continue reading
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Goal! Watch World Cup Games Live at the Library
Libraries have a reputation as places where quiet is encouraged, but not this June! As part of the city of Seattle’s efforts to celebrate FIFA World Cup 2026, the Library is thrilled to host 15 livestream watch parties for FIFA World Cup 2026 games at three locations: the Central Library (Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium), the Lake City Library, and the Southwest Branch. Like all… Continue reading
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3 Ways to Celebrate Pride 2026 With the Library
Happy Pride Month! We invite you to celebrate with the Library all month long, and we have a few special things planned this June and beyond. Attend a Pride event Calling all “Heated Rivalry” fans: On Saturday, June 13, check out this Queer Joy & Hockey program with Seattle Pride Hockey at the Northgate Branch. It… Continue reading
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June 2026 Author and Community Events at the Library
The Library’s many author and community events in June include a Queer hockey night at the Northgate Branch, a zine-making workshop with Densho, and FIFA World Cup 2026 watch parties. Find many more events at www.spl.org/Calendar. Find information and registration through the event links below. All Library events are free and open to the public.… Continue reading
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Ready, Set, Book Bingo 2026
Happy Book Bingo Day! Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the 12th annual Book Bingo launches with a beautiful board of 24 reading challenges that invites adults to read adventurously all summer and to connect with friends, family, and neighbors around books and reading. Because we’re once again partnering with Seattle Arts and Lectures (SAL) and King County Library System (KCLS), the… Continue reading
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Older Americans Month: Champion Your Health
Happy Older Americans Month! This year’s theme is Champion Your Health. At the Seattle Public Library, we work year-round to engage and connect older adults with programs and services that make a difference. Below you will find our free monthly programs and check out our calendar for all our older adult audience specific events! Stay tuned for Older Americans Month highlights on our… Continue reading
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Discover Summer Quest, the Library’s New All-Ages Summer Program
Summer in Seattle is all about adventure and discovery: ice cream, ferry rides, tide pooling, reading outside, festivals, exploring new places … and now, Summer Quest! This summer, the Library invites patrons of all ages to discover a brand-new version of our century-old summer reading program, starting on June 15. Summer Quest will encourage kids,… Continue reading
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Washington, Genealogy, and America250
This year marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. You might hear it called a semiquincentennial, bisesquicentennial, or simply America250. Many states are celebrating this anniversary in different ways. For many of those interested in genealogy and family history, we’re looking back at what our ancestors were doing in 1776. How many generations do you need to go back to find your… 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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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