Seattle

  • Three for Free: Seattle Songs

    Welcome to a new Shelf Talk series, Three For Free, in which we highlight three songs from the Freegal* collection for you to download and enjoy! I thought I’d kick this series off with a few songs about Seattle. From Perry Como to Nirvana, many artists have sung odes to our fair city. Here’s a… Continue reading

  • Crime, Seattle Style: A Reading List.

    Some of our favorite mysteries set in the rainy streets of Seattle. Third & Forever, by Lowen Clausen Grace Stevens investigates a series of rapes involving college athletes, including one dating the daughter of her former partner, in this final chapter of a gripping trilogy by a former Seattle police officer. Queer Street, by Curt Colbert.… Continue reading

  • How do I love the Seattle Public Library? Let me count the ways.

    Today’s guest blogger is Diana E. James, author of the newly published Shared Walls: Seattle Apartment Buildings, 1900-1939 (and co-author of one of our library’s own talented teen librarians). How do I love Seattle Public Library? Let me count the ways. Where else would a staff-person patiently sift through a drawer of maps until the perfect one… Continue reading

  • When Langston Came to Town

    It is always interesting to think of famous people walking the streets of our city.  That is the idea behind the Douglass-Truth Branch’s exhibit ‘When Langston Came to Town’. It memorializes the day in May, 1932, when Langston Hughes drove into Seattle for an author program at the First AME Church. The Seattle Times called… 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

  • The World’s Fair

    The Century 21 Exposition (or Seattle World’s Fair) took place in Seattle from April 21 to October 21, 1962. The first major American world’s fair after World War II, it presented an optimistic vision of a future improved through science and technology, and promoted Seattle to the world as a space-age city. Exhibits focused on… Continue reading

  • Sotero Photograph Collection

    The Seattle Public Library has a number of interesting visual collections. One example is the Sotero photograph collection, which offers a window into the world of African Americans in uniform during the World War II era. Marjorie Sotero collected these photographs during her time as a director of the African American Servicemen’s Clubs at Seattle’s… Continue reading

  • Omar Souleyman: Syria’s ambassador of pop

    Seattle is in for a treat on June 9, as international legend Omar Souleyman graces Neumos with his heady blend of Syrian folk and pop. Though he is well-known in his native country and actively performing material since 1994, it wasn’t until recently that Souleyman’s recordings have been released stateside, thanks to Seattle label Sublime Frequencies.… Continue reading

  • Seattle in Black and White

    Seattle has a reputation as a progressive, tolerant city, but as recently as the 1960s, racist laws and practices made Seattle a very unequal place to live. The University of Washington’s Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project has uncovered restrictive covenants—prohibiting the sale or rental of property to members of specified racial or ethnic… Continue reading

  • Solidarity Forever! Celebrating Seattle’s Workers and Labor History

    As we enjoy our Labor Day barbecues and picnics, it’s a good time to reflect on Seattle’s extraordinary labor history and honor the men and women whose struggles and hard work not only built this city, but won us cherished rights. The Seattle Public Library is a great place to start research before going to… Continue reading

  • Do you want turbocharged Internet connectivity in Seattle?

    Longing for ultra-high speed Internet connectivity at home? Think how quickly you could log on to the Library’s web site, search for books and check our online resources! Support the city’s bid for Google Fiber for Communities:  Seattle Broadband Initiative. Continue reading

  • Homegrown Reading

    Lately instead of just fretting over the health of local bookstores, I’ve started to fret over the local publishing scene, too. I’ve tried to laugh about it, but the bad news just keeps coming.  Will I someday be mourning the loss of Copper Canyon or Sasquatch Books the way I now miss browsing that glorious biblio-mayhem at Shorey’s… Continue reading

  • Give, Baby, Give!

      I’ve been hearing a lot of people wondering out loud about what they can do to be involved in their community these days.  Maybe it’s the holiday season gaining importance now that the Presidential election has come to an end.  Maybe it has to do with a certain speech that many of us heard… Continue reading

  • Natural Seattle

    As a native Seattleite, I’ve been blessed my entire life with our four seasons, umpteen varieties of rain, and countless beautiful days (no matter what kind of weather we’re having).  Recently someone asked me about a particular bit of weather lore, and this led me on a quest to find out more not just about… Continue reading

  • A book leads to redemption: Bringing honor to Fort Lawton soldiers from World War II

    The tale begins in WWII era Seattle. Our city was host to 200 Italian prisoners of war and a number of African-American servicemen in transit, at Fort Lawton on Magnolia Bluff. The Italians were treated more hospitably than the African-Americans — and tension rose. In one dramatic night of violence, one of the POWs was… Continue reading

  • Seattle’s Oldest House

    The honor of being Seattle’s oldest house officially belongs to The Ward House at 1423 Boren. But there have been and are other contenders. In May 1985, The Weekly concluded that the Ward House at 1423 Boren built in 1882 by pioneer entrepreneur George W. Ward was Seattle’s oldest surviving residential structure. The structure had stood vacant… Continue reading

  • Buildings and Cities

    The Seattle Public Library has a large and varied collection of books about architecture and city planning. Here are a few that I find interesting and useful. I hope you enjoy them too. The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs Jane Jacobs’ classic ground-breaking attack on the planning of American cities,… Continue reading