Impact Story
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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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6 Ways We’re Expanding Access: Fine-Free Anniversary, Part 2
Last week, in honor of the Library’s five-year anniversary of no longer charging overdue fines, we shared stories from our patrons about what fine-free borrowing has meant to them. We wanted to shares other changes the Library has made to expand access and create a more worry-free, inclusive experience. If you have questions about any… Continue reading
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“A Huge Load Off My Shoulders”: 5 Fine-Free Years, Part 1
Five years ago, the Library eliminated overdue fines, a change that was overwhelmingly approved by Seattle voters when they voted in the 2019 levy (thank you!). We also forgave all outstanding fines to give as many people as possible a fresh start. We made this change because decades of research, as well as our daily… Continue reading
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Impact Story: Digital Inclusion in Action at the Delridge Branch
What does it mean to have computer skills for the first time? On a Saturday afternoon in December at the Delridge Branch’s meeting room, 11 newly minted adult graduates of a 13-week basic digital literacy class organized by Villa Comunitaria, reflected on this question. One student, Abel, said that the class has helped prepare him… 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