The Seattle Public Library is
the public library system serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It was
officially established by the city in 1890, though there had been a
library association active in Seattle since 1868. There are 26 branches
in the system- the Ballard, Beacon Hill, the Broadview, Capitol Hill,
Colombia, Delridge, Douglass Truth, Fremont, Green Lake, Greenwood,
High Point, International District/Chinatown, Lake City, Madrona,
Magnolia, Mobile, Montlake, Northeast, Northgate, New Holly, Queen
Anne, Rainer Beach, Southwest, South Park, University, Wallingford and
West Seattle. Also included are the new (2004) Seattle Central Library
and the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL). In
addition, as of June 2004, there are three new branches in the planning
stages, and one new branch in the first stage of construction. The
Ballard branch of the library was completed in May 2005.
In 1998, Seattle voters, with an unprecedented 69 percent approval rate, approved the largest library bond issue then ever submitted in the United States. The funding provided by the "Libraries for All" bond measure, which proposed a $196.4 million makeover of the Library system, doubling the square footage in Seattle's libraries, including the building of new branches and a new Central Library.
As of 2004, the Seattle Public Library system has 590 staff members (453 full-time equivalents). In 2004, the system circulated 2,812,451 adult books, 1,411,903 children's books, 469,871 WTBBL materials, and 2,351,512 other media (CDs, DVDs, videotapes, etc.) for a total of 7,045,737 items lent. They also report 1 million reference questions answered. The system also provides 767 public computers (400 of them at the Central Library). Anyone with a library card can get up to one hour a day of free computer use; the system accepts reservations for a computer at a particular time at a particular branch.
The library has moved to an RFID system for materials, which allows people to check out their materials without assistance, freeing librarians to focus on matters other than circulation.
Until 2004, the library was home to Nancy Pearl, one of the few celebrity librarians in the English-speaking world. Pearl's Book Lust book series and her much-imitated "If All Seattle Read The Same Book" project resulted in her being perhaps the only librarian who has ever been honored with an action figure.
The new Seattle Central Library was designed by Rem Koolhaas and his group, the OMA.
Many of Seattle's early libraries were Carnegie libraries. Some of those buildings have been converted to other purposes (Ballard's former Carnegie library has held a number of restaurants, antique stores, etc.) but others (such as the Fremont branch and Green Lake branch) have been modernized, and remain in use.
In 1998, Seattle voters, with an unprecedented 69 percent approval rate, approved the largest library bond issue then ever submitted in the United States. The funding provided by the "Libraries for All" bond measure, which proposed a $196.4 million makeover of the Library system, doubling the square footage in Seattle's libraries, including the building of new branches and a new Central Library.
As of 2004, the Seattle Public Library system has 590 staff members (453 full-time equivalents). In 2004, the system circulated 2,812,451 adult books, 1,411,903 children's books, 469,871 WTBBL materials, and 2,351,512 other media (CDs, DVDs, videotapes, etc.) for a total of 7,045,737 items lent. They also report 1 million reference questions answered. The system also provides 767 public computers (400 of them at the Central Library). Anyone with a library card can get up to one hour a day of free computer use; the system accepts reservations for a computer at a particular time at a particular branch.
The library has moved to an RFID system for materials, which allows people to check out their materials without assistance, freeing librarians to focus on matters other than circulation.
Until 2004, the library was home to Nancy Pearl, one of the few celebrity librarians in the English-speaking world. Pearl's Book Lust book series and her much-imitated "If All Seattle Read The Same Book" project resulted in her being perhaps the only librarian who has ever been honored with an action figure.
The new Seattle Central Library was designed by Rem Koolhaas and his group, the OMA.
Many of Seattle's early libraries were Carnegie libraries. Some of those buildings have been converted to other purposes (Ballard's former Carnegie library has held a number of restaurants, antique stores, etc.) but others (such as the Fremont branch and Green Lake branch) have been modernized, and remain in use.