Programs & Services
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12 Ways to Enjoy Summer at the Library
Summer is here, and The Seattle Public Library is here for you. Head to your neighborhood library with your kids to pick up a Summer of Learning activity booklet, go to a fun program, check out some books, explore, and chill out! Here are 12 ways to turn up the summer fun and learning, library… Continue reading
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Keep Kids Learning All Summer: Summer of Learning Kicks Off Today
School’s almost out, but reading, learning and growing are in! The Seattle Public Library’s 106th annual Summer of Learning kicks off today with free activities, programs, and reading challenges designed to keep kids curious, creative and engaged all summer long. Get started by visiting your closest Library location (www.spl.org/Hours) to pick up a Summer of… Continue reading
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Free English Language Programs at the Library to Expand with Significant Carnegie Grant
The Seattle Public Library is excited to announce that it’s received a prestigious $450,000 grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York that will fund a significant expansion of the Library’s free English language learning programs over the next two years. The grant to the Seattle Public Library Foundation is part of Carnegie’s “Libraries as Pillars… Continue reading
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Super Summer Reading Series with KUOW: 3 Books, 3 Authors, 3 Events
Seattle summer reading just got better! This summer, the KUOW Book Club and the Library invite you to join a book club adventure featuring three books by local authors. Each month, read along with the KUOW Book Club’s selection, and then bring your friends (and your questions) to an event at the Central Library that… Continue reading
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June 2025 Events: ‘Banned Together,’ Octavia Butler Birthday Bash and More
Looking for something to do while you wait for summer to start? We’ve got you. From a documentary screening about student activists fighting book bans to a birthday bash for legendary writer Octavia Butler, there’s something for everyone at the Library in June. All Library events are free and open to the public. Find information… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: Pacific Northwest Nature
Our region offers so many incredible opportunities to experience nature, from the mountains to the Puget Sound, from the Duwamish Green Belt to the Burke-Gilman Trail, to the University of Washington Arboretum right here in Seattle. Here are some reading suggestions to fill your PNW nature square for this year’s Book Bingo! Local author and… Continue reading
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Book Bingo 2025 Goes Big, and Begins Today
Your favorite summer reading adventure begins today, with a plot twist! Every summer we partner with Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) for Book Bingo, our summer reading program for adults and teens. For 2025, we are thrilled to share that King County Library System (KCLS) is joining the fun! Readers in all corners of King… Continue reading
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May 2025 Author Events: Ada Limón, “Empire of AI,” and More
We have some amazing events at the Library in May, from a talk with New Yorker editor Michael Lo about his fascinating history of Chinese immigration to a just-added event with author Karen Hao about “Empire of AI,” her behind-the-scenes story of what went wrong at OpenAI. All Library events are free and open to… Continue reading
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With Wheels Instead of Walls, Mobile Services Delivers Books and Connection
On a rainy morning, residents of Council House, a low-income senior living facility on Capitol Hill, are getting their monthly library fix. Every third Tuesday of the month, The Seattle Public Library’s Mobile Services team unloads the Bookmobile and sets up a pop-up library in the community access room of the building. Residents trickle in… Continue reading
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Libraries, Our Anchors to Civic Life, Are Under Threat
If you’re concerned about how federal funding cuts will affect Washington state’s libraries and the communities we serve, recent media stories shed light on what’s happening. On Sunday, April 12, the Seattle Times published an op-ed by The Seattle Public Library’s Chief Librarian Tom Fay that detailed how the loss of the Institute of Museum… Continue reading
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Branches in Bloom: Photos of Spring at the Library
We usually associate libraries with the indoors — buildings, books, computers, programs and classes. But a lot of thought and care goes into the landscapes surrounding our buildings as well. Mathew Roland, senior gardener, is a member of the Library’s Facilities team, which works hard around the year to keep our spaces clean, safe, well-functioning,… Continue reading
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Meet Me at the Library: Q&A with Author Shamichael Hallman
Shamichael Hallman, author of “Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy,” will speak on Monday, April 14 at Town Hall Seattle. His topic couldn’t be more timely — why the public library may be our best hope for bridging current societal divides and creating strong, inclusive communities. Please… Continue reading
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Food Waste Prevention Week 2025
Food Waste Prevention Week 2025 is April 7 to 13. Sheryl Anayas and Liz Fikejs from Seattle Public (SPU) Utilities join us for an interview about the work they do to help prevent food waste, and how individuals can take action. What is Food Waste Prevention Week, and why is reducing food waste important? Food… Continue reading
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Building Literacy and Reading Joy for 30 years: the Global Reading Challenge
On Wednesday, April 2, after 60 tense minutes of competition in front of a cheering crowd in the Central Library auditorium, The Library Lynx team from Queen Anne Elementary won the title of 2025 Global Reading Challenge city champion. Wearing orange headbands and purple T-shirts, the seven fourth and fifth graders competed against 10 other… Continue reading
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Women’s Health Resources: Menopause
With government health care information becoming spotty at best, or altogether missing at worst, especially as it relates to women’s health and individuals who are LGBTQIA+, it can feel overwhelming to try to find accurate medical information without making an appointment with your doctor, just to ask questions. Though staff are not medical professionals and… Continue reading
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10 Not-to-Miss Author and Community Events for Spring 2025
The Library’s spring calendar is blooming with inspiring events, from an April 14 talk with Shamichael Hallman, author of “Meet Me at the Library,” to a May 7 discussion with Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of “The Sympathizer,” about his much-anticipated new book. All Library events are free and open to the public, but… Continue reading
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U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón to Visit Seattle and More Seattle Reads News
Ready, set, mark your calendars! Beginning next week, Seattle Reads, the Library’s citywide book group, is planning more than two months of community programming for our 2025 selection “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World,” edited by the 24th U.S. Poetry Laureate Ada Limón. There is literally a program for everyone in our city.… Continue reading
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Kick Off with Women’s Soccer Part 2 – Fiction
The National Women’s Soccer League season is off to a thrilling start! You may have seen my last post about the NWSL with library resources to get you prepped and excited for the season. Ready for women’s soccer to take over more of your brain space? Here are some novels and movies so you can… Continue reading