library staff

  • Autumn splendors

    The fall foliage season is a thing of beauty. Of the many colors of autumn, my favorite is soft orange. Having hints of yellow and pink, it appears to glow from within. I spotted these leaves recently on the redbud hazel in my yard. This shrub has produced outstanding shows every fall. Yellow, orange, red,… Continue reading

  • John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice: A Dad’s Appreciation

    As an avid science fiction and fantasy reader, and as a children’s librarian, I’ve read my share of wonderful and intriguing stories. But nothing I’ve read before has been as deeply satisfying as John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series. For the young, or not so young, reader craving action Flanagan’s books are hard to beat. And… Continue reading

  • Meaning of Pink in October

    Pink is all over. We now even get library check-out receipts in pink. That is because October is “National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” Many events like walking, running, fundraising, and lectures are going on through the month of October. There is even an organization called National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) which works to promote… Continue reading

  • October Question of the Month – an irregular series

    Hi. I’m starting a preschool business in North Seattle. I need help getting answers to these questions: $ spent in US on private preschools; $ spent locally on private preschools; % growth last year. Also, growth potential, trends in the industry, and my main competitors’ products and pricing. Thank-you for your help! Thank you for… Continue reading

  • Wild and Green

    During the recession of my youth there was one summer when I ate a lot of wild greens gathered in what was then a very new Discovery Park. My favorite was miner’s lettuce in salads, which would probably be even tastier now that I can afford the EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) to dress it.… Continue reading

  • The art of refrigerator magnets

    I love refrigerator magnets.  I’m not one to accumulate things, but I am fond of these humble collectibles.  These souvenirs are daily reminders of wonderful places I’ve been, take little space, and stay put where I place them!  They are also great for holding up notes and to-do lists.  Just because it is an inexpensive… Continue reading

  • September Question of the Month – an irregular series

    I’m having the dickens of a time finding a definitive answer to the question “what is the largest nature preserve in the world?”  I’ve searched the web for hours and find many conflicting claims to the title but nothing with a reputable source. Since you have many resources beyond the Web available I’m hoping you… Continue reading

  • Free author events this month!

    Fall is definitely the high season for new book releases and author tours.  And what a line up we have at The Seattle Public Library! In fact, there are so many events in the next two months that we’re dividing this blog post into parts, starting here with events for September. The events below are all… Continue reading

  • Seattle Picks: Biography and Memoir

     There’s a great list of suggested biographies — Seattle Picks: Biography and Memoir — in our catalog, and most of them are available now or have short holds lists. We selected these six titles with a literary tie-in to feature here. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami After selling his jazz… Continue reading

  • Ice Cream Story Time!

    If you felt a whole lotta’ shakin’ goin’ on you must have been at the Capitol Hill branch when it finished its summer story time series the end of August.  It was the perfect way to welcome the warm weather and to head off into the furlough.  Over a hundred and twenty-five kids and their… Continue reading

  • Seattle Picks: Historical mysteries

    A few historical mysteries, set in various locations around the world, selected by our librarians: Palace of Justice by Susanne Alleyn While Madame Guillotine is still in action in 1793, a serial killer, who cuts the heads off his victims, is loose in Paris. Aristide Ravel, freelancer to the Paris police, is the only one… Continue reading

  • Why are you reading that book?

    After you read Pierre Bayard’s book How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read, he will lead you into questions like this. A bestselling author in France, Bayard claims he doesn’t care much for reading. One of his main points is that one can have an intellectual conversation about literary classics, such as Macbeth and Crime and Punishment, without ever… Continue reading

  • We’re back!

    Continue reading

  • We’ll be closed next week, but back on September 6!

    Today and this weekend are your last chances to check out books, DVDs and CDs before we close for a one-week furlough. The Library closure is due to budget cuts, and you can read the full story here. You can, however, check out and download digital books and media during the closure. We’re turning “off”… Continue reading

  • August Question of the Month – an irregular series

    I’m wondering if you can tell me: what makes a hair stop growing? Why do, say, leg hairs or eyebrows stop growing, but the hair on my head continues to grow? Thank you for your question regarding differential growth rates of human hair types. This is a very interesting question that has been addressed recently in… Continue reading

  • Meet Henry, SPL’s First Service Dog.

    We have a new staff member named Henry! Henry works with Mike B., a librarian at the Central Library, and he’s a handsome fellow, yes? Service Dogs are trained to work with individuals with physical or mental disabilities including panic attacks, PTSD and depression. But it’s not easy to become a Service Dog. First, the… Continue reading

  • Shelf Talks with local poet Megan Snyder-Camp

    We recently interviewed Megan Snyder-Camp, local Seattle poet and author of The Forest of Sure Things (Tupelo Press, 2010), about her craft and literary inspiration. One piece of advice many writers hear is “write what you know.” Do you take that advice? What advice have you found useful? I think we need invention to approach… Continue reading

  • Personalized teen book lists!

    Going on a road trip? Looking for an audiobook that both you and your teen can enjoy? Our teen services librarians are standing by to help. Use our Next 5 Books service to request suggestions for audiobooks that everyone in the family will enjoy. And of course, we’re also happy to suggest beach reads for… Continue reading