Seattle Public Library facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Seattle Public Library

Seattle Central Library in 2019
Type	Public library
Established	1890
Location	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates	47°36′25″N 122°19′58″W / 47.60694°N 122.33278°W / 47.60694; -122.33278
Branches	27
Collection
Size	2.3 million items
Access and use
Circulation	10.8 million
Population served	686,800
Members	378,222
Other information
Budget	$89 million (2018)
Director	Marcellus Turner
Staff	711
References: Washington Public Library Statistical Report, 2016

Central Library, looking south on Fifth Avenue

The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is the main library system for the city of Seattle, Washington. People started trying to create a library in Seattle as early as 1868. The city officially started the library system in 1890.

Today, the Seattle Public Library has 27 different locations, called branches. Most of these branches are named after the neighborhoods they are in. The system also has Mobile Services, which brings library resources to different places. The main library is the Central Library. It was designed by a famous architect named Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2004. The Seattle Public Library also started the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), which helps people who are blind or have trouble reading regular books.

Many of Seattle's first libraries were built with money from Andrew Carnegie. While the main Carnegie library has been replaced twice, many of the original branch buildings from the early 1900s are still around. Some have been changed a lot. For example, the former Carnegie library in Ballard now has restaurants and shops. Other branches, like Fremont and Green Lake, have been updated and are still used as libraries today.

Library Branches and Locations
What You Can Find at the Library
History of the Seattle Public Library
Library Architecture and Design
Images for kids
See also

Library Branches and Locations

The Seattle Public Library system has 27 branches, including the large Central Library. It also offers a mobile library service, which is like a library on wheels!

Ballard
Beacon Hill
Broadview
Capitol Hill
Columbia (in Columbia City)
Delridge
Douglass-Truth (named after Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth) in the Central District
Fremont
Green Lake
Greenwood
High Point
International District/Chinatown
Lake City
Madrona-Sally Goldmark
Magnolia
Montlake
North East in View Ridge
Northgate
NewHolly
Queen Anne
Rainier Beach
Southwest in Westwood
South Park
University in the University District
Wallingford
West Seattle

What You Can Find at the Library

The Central Library had about 930,000 books in 2011. It also has special collections like:

Stories from people's lives (oral history)
Government documents
Aviation history (about airplanes and flying)
Family history records (genealogy)
Historical papers about Seattle

The 26 branch libraries have about one million physical items. These include books, CDs, and DVDs. All library locations also have collections of books you can borrow without needing a library card.

History of the Seattle Public Library

The public library in Henry Yesler's former home downtown, which burned down in 1901

The downtown Carnegie Library in 1919

Starting the Library: Late 1800s

The first try to start a library in Seattle was in 1868. About 50 people met, but not much happened for 20 years. Then, in 1888, the Ladies' Library Association worked hard to create a public library. They raised money and even got a promise of land from Henry Yesler. However, their plans were stopped by the Great Seattle Fire in 1889.

Even so, their ideas were good. In October 1890, the city officially made the Public Library a part of the city government. The ladies' influence was clear because the city rules said that at least two of the five library leaders had to be women. The library got its money from a part of city fines and fees.

The first library opened on April 8, 1891. It was a reading room on the third floor of the Occidental Block. By December 1891, people could borrow books, and the library had 6,541 books. The library moved several times in its early years. In 1898, it moved to the former Yesler Mansion. This large building had 40 rooms.

Growth in the Early 1900s

On January 1, 1901, the Yesler Mansion caught fire, and most of the library's books were lost. Only the library records and 2,000 children's books were saved. About 5,000 books that people had borrowed were also safe. The library then operated out of Yesler's barn for a short time.

Soon after the fire, Andrew Carnegie promised $200,000 to build a new library in Seattle. He later added more money. The new Carnegie library was built downtown and opened on December 19, 1906.

The library also started to grow in other ways. It added new departments, like a reference department in 1899 and a children's librarian in 1903. Branch libraries opened in rented spaces in Fremont (1903), Green Lake (1905), and the University District (1908).

In 1908, Carnegie gave another $105,000 to build permanent branches in the University District, Green Lake, and West Seattle. These all opened in 1910. When Seattle added the city of Ballard, it gained another Carnegie library. More money from Carnegie in 1911 helped build the Queen Anne branch (opened 1914) and the Columbia Branch (opened 1915). The Yesler Branch, named after Henry Yesler, was later renamed the Douglass-Truth branch.

The opening of the permanent Fremont branch in 1921, also funded by Carnegie, marked the end of this big growth period. It would be over 30 years before the Seattle Public Library opened another new branch.

In 1915, the library had books in many languages besides English. These included Croatian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. The library also had one of the few collections for blind people in the western United States.

In 1916, 67,097 people borrowed books from the library. This was about 19% of Seattle's population. The library had many ways for people to get books, including the main library, 9 branch libraries, and even small collections in drug stores, fire stations, and schools.

Challenges and Changes: Mid-1900s

The North East branch, designed by Paul Thiry, opened in 1954

During the Great Depression, Seattle and its library faced tough times. The library had more people wanting to borrow books than ever before, but its money was cut. The Central Library became a place where jobless people could go. Book borrowing reached a record high in 1932, with over 4 million books borrowed. However, the library's budget was much lower in 1939 than in 1931.

In 1941, for the library's 50th birthday, the Friends of The Seattle Public Library group was started. After World War II, the economy improved, and the library started to get better. In 1949, Seattle spent money to add more book shelves to the Central Library. Three new modern branch libraries were built in 1954.

By the mid-1900s, the library offered more than just books. It had sheet music, phonograph records, and even reproductions of famous paintings. In 1950, the library subscribed to 200 newspapers and 1,700 magazines.

New Buildings in the 1960s

The downtown library building (opened 1960) in 1969

The Magnolia library, opened in 1964

In 1956, Seattle voters finally approved money to build a new main library. This new $4.5 million Central Library opened on March 26, 1960. It was very modern for its time. It had the first escalator in an American library and a drive-up window to pick up books. It was also the first public building in Seattle to include important new artworks.

The new library made the public library system much more active. In its first nine months, the new Central Library loaned out almost 1 million books. This was a 31% increase from the year before!

The 1956 funding also helped build new branch libraries. These included the Southwest Branch (1961), a new Ballard Branch (1963), and the Magnolia Branch (1964). The Magnolia Branch was designed with Japanese influences, common in Northwest architecture.

Recent Times: Late 1900s to Today

In the 1970s and 1980s, the library faced tight budgets again, but it was not as bad as the Great Depression. In 1975, the Yesler Branch was renamed the Douglass-Truth Branch. It honors Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth and has a large collection about African Americans.

In 1979, a federal grant helped improve the Central Library. Another grant helped build the Rainier Beach Branch in 1981. In the late 1980s, a project costing $4.6 million restored the library's six original Carnegie branches.

In 1998, Seattle voters approved a huge amount of money, $196 million, for libraries. This "Libraries for All" plan, along with private donations, almost doubled the space in Seattle's libraries. It led to new branches and a brand new Central Library.

By 2006, the library system had 699 staff members. They loaned out millions of books, CDs, and DVDs each year. They also answered over 1 million questions from people. The library system also provides over 1,100 public computers for free use.

The library uses an RFID system for materials. This lets people check out their own books and other items without needing a librarian's help. This frees up librarians to help with other things.

In November 2012, Seattle voters approved a plan to restore library services after several budget cuts. This allowed all branches to offer Sunday service, increased the number of branches open seven days a week, and provided money for new books, digital content, and computers.

In August 2019, Seattle voters approved another $219 million to fund library services. This money helps extend library hours, make buildings safer from earthquakes, and provide social services. It also allowed the library to stop charging overdue fines for borrowed items starting in January 2020.

Library Architecture and Design

Many of the Seattle Public Library buildings are famous for their design. They show different styles from different time periods. The old Carnegie libraries and the Douglass-Truth library were all built in the early 1900s. After 1921, no new branches were built until 1954. When construction started again, the International style was popular.

The Seattle Central Library opened in 2004. It was designed by famous architects Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus. In 2007, it was voted one of Americans' favorite structures. It also won an award for its architecture in 2005.

Six current Seattle branch libraries are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical buildings. These include the Columbia, Fremont, Green Lake, Queen Anne, University, and West Seattle branches.

The new Ballard Branch is also special because it uses "green architecture." It has solar panels to save electricity and a green roof. The green roof helps insulate the building and reduces rainwater runoff.