West Seattle, Washington
12 Sunday
City Councilmembers, meeting today as the Select Committee on the Library Levy, added almost $70 million to the $410 million library levy expansion/renewal proposal received from Mayor Katie Wilson. The levy that’ll go up for a final council vote next Tuesday (April 14) is now $480 million. Councilmembers approved this list of 11 amendments, including two by District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka, who was not at the meeting; his amendments support “digital skilling” for teens at High Point and South Park libraries and encourage the library system to work with the Admiral-based Washington State Black Legacy Institute. After the amendment votes, the councilmembers spent a relatively lengthy amount of time saying they realize it’s a lot to ask property taxpayers to keep shouldering, and then clarifying that the acknowledgment didn’t mean any of them were anti-library. Ultimately, all seven councilmembers in attendance – Bob Kettle was absent too- voted to advance the amended levy plan to a final council vote next Tuesday; if councilmembers approve it then too, it would go to voters this August.
(Photo from spl.org)
A year and a half ago, we told you that the Seattle Public Library had obtained a $5.5 million federal grant to pay for air conditioning at five branches, including West Seattle (Admiral). Since the library has been without AC, some heat waves have forced it to close. But those days are close to over. We got a tip (thank you!) that the branch was tentatively clearing its schedule later this spring in anticipation of the work. So we asked SPL spokesperson Laura Gentry about the project. Here’s what she told WSB:
The Library looks forward to installing a new HVAC system with air conditioning at the West Seattle Branch! We do not yet have a confirmed start date for the work as we await final permitting and begin the construction bidding process.
We anticipate it will take approximately 3 months to complete the work, and the branch will be closed during that time.
We will be sure to give West Seattle patrons as much advance notice as possible for this closure. We hope to have more information about a project timeline in the next couple of weeks.
The West Seattle branch is a historic Carnegie library, opened in 1910.
As previewed here last night, Mayor Katie Wilson has gone public with her proposal for the Seattle Public Library levy’s renewal/expansion, which she wants to send to voters on the August primary ballot. At $410 million over seven years, it’s almost double the $219 million levy that’s expired, which in turn had almost doubled the $123 million levy it followed. From the announcement today:
… The proposed 2026 replacement levy would further critical funding for The Seattle Public Library over seven years, from 2027 through 2033. It would replace the expiring $219.1 million 2019 Library Levy, which currently accounts for one-third of the Library’s total budget.
“Seattle is a city of readers. From toddlers discovering their first stories to seniors finding connection and lifelong learning, our libraries belong to everyone,” said Mayor Katie B. Wilson. “Investing in our libraries means investing in every community member, and in the shared public spaces that help our city learn, grow, imagine, and thrive together.”
If voters approve the 2026 Library Levy, it will invest in access, programming, collections, building maintenance, and technology and online services across Seattle’s library system. Key investments include:
-Open hours at all 27 neighborhood branches
-More physical, e-book and audiobooks for readers of every age
-Expanded technology and online services to support learning, job access, and connection
-Building maintenance and capital improvements to care for library spaces citywide
-Additional facility and janitorial resources to keep our libraries safer, cleaner and more welcoming for everyone“We thank Mayor Wilson for putting forward a levy proposal that reflects community needs and interests and invests in Library open hours, collections, programs, buildings, and technology,” said Chief Librarian Tom Fay. “We look forward to working in partnership with Mayor Wilson and City councilmembers through a public process that will ensure this package is something all Seattle residents can be proud to support in August.”
The proposed 2026 Library Levy proposal will be reviewed by a select committee of the Seattle City Council, which will be chaired by Councilmember Maritza Rivera (District 4) … If the updated package is approved by Council, it will go to a final vote of the people on the August 4, 2026 ballot. Learn more about the proposal at spl.org/2026Levy
The proposal is under the title “Read. Grow. Belong.” Our area has four SPL branches – south to north, they are Southwest (9010 35th SW), High Point (3411 SW Raymond), Delridge (5423 Delridge Way SW), and West Seattle (2306 42nd SW).
The next major city levy to expire will be the one that provides a third of the funding for the Seattle Public Library system. We’ll find out tomorrow what Mayor Katie Wilson wants to ask voters to approve to replace the levy when it expires at year’s end. The mayor is scheduled to announce her library-levy proposal at 12:30 pm Tuesday (March 10). The expiring levy was put forward by then-Mayor Jenny Durkan in 2019, a seven-year, $213 million levy that in turn replaced the seven-year, $123 million levy passed by voters in 2012. If you want to know how levy money’s been spent, here’s a page devoted to that info. After the mayor’s announcement tomorrow, the City Council starts reviewing it at 9:30 am Wednesday as the Select Committee on the Library Levy; you can comment at the meetings as well as at a public hearing April 2nd.
Two months ago, Gay showed us how a tree took out Little Free Library #8702, uphill from Lowman Beach. Tonight, Gay sent this update, with photos!
The LFL on 48th and Graham is back in business. Our friend Dana and crew from Legendary Tree got the space all ready yesterday. Matt Lukin repaired it and put it back up today.
Shoutout to Pegasus Books for the continued support.
The next City Council committee to have its first meeting of the new year is the Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee, meeting at 9:30 am tomorrow (Wednesday). Its main agenda item is an overview of the Seattle Public Library; during this week’s council briefing meeting, the committee’s chair, Councilmember Maritza Rivera, said this is an opportune time as the 2019 Library Levy is about due for its renewal/”refresh.” The slide deck for the briefing can be previewed here; you can find out how to attend/watch/comment at the meeting via info in the agenda.
For the next month, Southwest Library is alive with art! Today brought the opening reception for this year’s Southwest Artist Showcase, which the library has been hosting for more than 30 years, displaying art brought in by any and all community members interested in participating. Art of all sizes and by all ages!
That’s a crocheted robot by Ely Thomas; this is Scotti Smith‘s acrylic “Street Kitty”:
We talked with some of the artists, too; Sam Day, a founder of the Notorious Alki Swimmers, brought paintings envisioning two of his fellow swimmers as mermaids:
Gordon Miller‘s lightbox “Group Chat” started with a drawing and then was made using a laser cutter the West Seattle Tool Library used to have on hand, he told us:
Charlie Harris is showing work he made from what he describes as “scraps” – even part of an old coffee card:
There’s so much more to see, all around the library shelves, and you have all month (actually, through Nov. 2) to visit. Library days/hours are here. (Thanks to Southwest Library’s Bean Yogi for introducing us to some of the artists during our brief visit today – we hope to return later in the month to admire more of the art!)
For more than 30 years, the Southwest Library has hosted the anual Southwest Artist Showcase, a non-juried exhibition in which you can participate just by bringing in art to display. The dropoff period starts tomorrow (Wednesday, October 1) and continues through Friday; the showcase starts Sunday (October 5), with an opening reception 11 am-12:30 pm, and continues during regular library hours through November 2. For other details, see the infopage about the showcase, then get ready to submit up to three of your artworks over the next three days. Southwest Library is at 9010 35th SW.
Whether or not you use the Seattle Public Library, its new community survey is meant for you. Here’s the announcement:
The Seattle Public Library wants to hear from you!
Everyone in Seattle is invited to take a brief community survey that will help shape the Library’s future
How do you feel about The Seattle Public Library’s spaces, collections, programs, and services? Take our brief survey and let us know! Not a Library user? We want to hear from you, too!
The Seattle Public Library is conducting a survey from Monday, August 25 through Wednesday, Sept. 24 to hear from the community, including what is working well, what could use improvement, and what Seattle residents would like to see from the Library in the future.
Visit spl.org/CommunitySurvey to learn more and take the survey.
The survey is available in print and online, and it is available at all Library locations. To ensure the Library receives feedback from a statistically significant and representative sampling of Seattle residents, the survey has been mailed to 15,000 households and translated into six languages other than English, including Amharic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.
To thank participants for sharing their thoughts, Library consultant Olympic Research and Strategy (ORS) is offering a chance to win one of 20 $50 VISA gift cards. To enter the gift card raffle, participants can enter their email address, which will only be used for the raffle and not included as part of survey analysis.
If you’re interested, SPL’s announcement included a summary of how the survey was developed:
The Library hired ORS to provide support on survey development, delivery, and analysis of results. ORS also facilitated four community workshops held at the Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill and Greenwood branches. Over 30 community service providers participated to share direct feedback about Library spaces and services. These organizations represent many interests, ranging from youth, seniors, and low-income family services to literacy and education advocates, housing providers, and arts organizations.
The Library also provided more informal feedback opportunities with patrons at more than a dozen locations. Patrons were encouraged to share how the Library makes them feel, what the Library could do to improve, and even what their dream library might look like.
Feedback provided through the survey, workshops and engagement activities will help inform how the Library shapes its services and spaces to better serve our community.
(WSB photo from April’s Firefighter Story Time at Delridge Library)
Last time a library in West Seattle hosted Firefighter Story Time, a reader lamented not seeing an announcement sooner – so in case you haven’t seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, the next one is this Friday. This time, Firefighter Story Time is set for 11 am at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond). As always, it’s meant not only for kids to learn about fire safety but also to see firefighters and their gear up close, so that they might be less scared in an emergency situation. No preregistration needed – kids and parents/caregivers can just show up.
P.S. If you miss this one, you can also hop over the ridge to South Park Library (8604 8th Ave. S.) for Firefighter Story Time at 10:30 am August 5.
(WSB photos by Anne Higuera)
Seattle Public Library branches host lots of story times – but they don’t all have special guests like this one at Delridge Library did. More than three dozen people were there this afternoon as the library hosted Firefighter Story Time, with North Delridge’s Station 36 firefighters there to not just read, but also to educate:
Part of the goal is to show kids, in a calm non-emergency situation, what the firefighters’ gear looks like, so they won’t be frightened if they encounter them in scarier, suited-up circumstances:
The firefighters of course arrived in their apparatus, Engine 36, which the kids got to check out firsthand:
One of the important questions the firefighters asked the kids – what number do you call in case of emergency? (Not all knew it’s 911.)
If you need to visit a Seattle Public Library branch in person, today and tomorrow are good days to do it, as SPL is closing its locations on Thursday (May 1) for a staff in-service day. SPL does this annually “for systemwide staff training and team-building.” Its announcement notes, “All location book drops will remain open, so feel free to drop off your materials. No Library materials will be due on that day.”
(All SPL locations and hours are listed/mapped here.)
Thanks to Andrea for the report and photos from a big event tonight!
Seattle Public Library hosts the Global Reading Challenge annually for teams of Seattle 4th and 5th graders. Two West Seattle teams advanced to the citywide finals on April 2 – Genesee Hill Elementary and Lafayette Elementary. The Genesee Hill team, the Book Bandits, tied for second place in the citywide final! Those seven Genesee 5th-graders worked for months reading and re-reading the books selected for the challenge and won their school and semi-finals to advance. They competed against 10 other teams. Genesee Hill librarian Lindsay Yost has been helping the team prepare and cheered them on from the audience on the big night.
The Book Bandits – Avery, Collin, Henry, Laird, Lake, Si, and Tommy – deserve big kudos for their hard work!
Learn more about the Global Reading Challenge here.
We’ve mentioned a few sessions in our daily event lists but with two months to go until the federal tax deadline, local branches of the Seattle Public Library want to be sure you know they’re offering free tax help at some branches – three in this area, Southwest, West Seattle (Admiral), and South Park. Here’s what you need to know:
Trained volunteers will answer questions and help prepare personal tax returns. This service is free and available to individuals only. The service is not available for business tax returns. Drop-in tax help is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Southwest Branch: Fridays, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm through 4/11 via AARP Foundation (Appointments preferred)
West Seattle Branch: Thursdays, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, & Saturdays, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm via AARP Foundation (Appointments preferred)
South Park Branch: Saturdays & Sundays, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm through 4/19 in English and Spanish, via United Way of King County (this service has eligibility requirements)
What to Bring to Free In-Person Tax Help
Required:
-Photo identification
-Social Security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) for everyone listed on the tax return
-Proof of income, for example, W2s and 1099s (Social Security benefits)
-Official documents on Social Security Administration letterhead
-Medicare card (if Social Security number is followed by an “A”)
-Be prepared to provide information about health care coverage for each person on the returnRecommended:
-Last year’s tax return, if available
-Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of refundsPhotocopies or computer print-outs of any these documents will be accepted. Original documents highly recommended.
Same-day appointments have been available, we’re told, but looking further ahead is your best bet.
P.S. Reminder that all Seattle Public Library locations will be closed Monday (February 17) for Presidents Day.
Thanks for the texted tip. High Point Library is closed today. Unplanned, says this note on the branch’s webpage:
The High Point Branch will be closed on Sunday, Feb. 9 due to insufficient staffing. The book return will remain open and holds will be extended.
P.S. SPL says this is one of two branches in the system – along with the Chinatown/ID branch – closed today for a staffing shortage.
(Lincoln Park path – WSB photo by Aspen Anderson)
Also in from the city, changes in Seattle Public Library and Seattle Parks facilities because of the snow:
SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY: Delayed opening:
On Wednesday, Feb. 5, given the present accumulation of snow and ice in Seattle, all branch locations of The Seattle Public Library will open on a 2-hour delay. The Central Library will maintain normal open hours. All Bookmobile stops have been canceled for the day.
Branch locations will be scheduled to open from noon to 6 p.m. or noon to 8 p.m. The Central Library will open with regular hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. View our schedule at www.spl.org/Hours. We may experience other impacts to our schedule, so please check this page again before planning a visit to one of our locations.
SEATTLE PARKS: Various changes to facility operations; most notably for West Seattle, the golf course is closed, and Southwest Pool is on a delayed schedule. Full systemwide info is here.
Artists of all skill levels and talents are invited to be part of the annual Southwest Artist Showcase at Southwest Library. The four-day window to bring in your creations for display starts tomorrow – here’s the invitation we received today:
It’s that time of year again: the 32nd annual Southwest Artist Showcase is gearing up for October 6 – November 4! This free, month-long event features artists from all over west and southwest Seattle.
We welcome submissions from people of all ages and experience levels for our non-juried, non-profit showcase. Submit up to 3 pieces of art between Tuesday, October 1 – Friday, October 4 at the Southwest Branch during our open hours.Artwork will NOT be offered for sale at the Library. All works must be picked up by 6pm on Sunday, November 10. You may have another person drop off (or pick up) your art. If you have an easel or display structure that you’d like us to use to display your work, please bring them along with your art.
Please note: we strive to display all submitted works, as space allows. Some works may not be included if their size or construction prevents their effective display in the library. Library staff will determine the placement and display of each piece, and artwork will not be moved once it has been placed.
For more information about the Southwest Artist Showcase, please visit spl.org/southwestartistshowcase or call the branch at 206-684-7455.
The branch is at 9010 35th SW; its hours are listed here.
The Seattle Public Library has announced its fall schedule, which increases its systemwide open hours by six percent – 77 more hours, from 1,283 hours per week to 1,360 hours per week. None of those added hours will be in West Seattle; we compared the fall schedules for local branches to the current schedules – (corrected) two branches have changes.
Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 25, Library locations will operate according to the schedules listed below, which will also be posted at the Library’s Hours and Locations page. When branches are scheduled to be closed, their book returns will remain open and patron holds will be extended.
Delridge Branch - no change
Mon 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tue 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wed Noon to 8 p.m.
Thu Noon to 8 p.m.
Fri 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sun ClosedHigh Point Branch – Wednesday/Thursday hours change
Mon 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tue 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wed Noon to 8 p.m. (currently 10 am-6 pm)
Thu Noon to 8 p.m. (currently 10 am-8 pm)
Fri 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Southwest Branch – no change
Mon 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tue Noon to 8 p.m.
Wed Noon to 8 p.m.
Thu 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fri 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sat Closed
Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.West Seattle Branch – (corrected) Wednesday hours shift
Mon 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tue Noon to 8 p.m.
Wed 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thu 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fri Closed
Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more info on the state of SPL, including an update on the aftermath of the summer-long tech crisis, you can watch the briefing during the City Council’s Libraries, Neighborhoods, Education Committee meeting tomorrow (Thursday, September 12) at 9:30 am – here’s the agenda. (And here’s the slide deck, mostly about the tech crisis.)
The end of summer means a new start of sorts for the Seattle Public Library – SPL says it’s now restored the last of its services affected by the tech crisis resulting from a “ransomware attack.” That means you can again use the library’s public computers and SPL Lockers, plus its “Suggest a Title” is back. SPL said via X/Twitter that this “means that all of our services are back online and ready for you to use. Thank you for your patience, support and kind words this summer as we worked to restore our services.” The trouble began just before Memorial Day, and SPL services have been coming back online incrementally ever since.
(WSB photos)
As noted in today’s highlight list, the High Point branch of the Seattle Public Library is having a party right now! This summer marks the 20th anniversary of the branch, which opened in June 2004, funded by the “Libraries for All” bond measure that built or remodeled more than two dozen branches citywide. Treats and book raffles are part of it:
Voters passed “Libraries for All” in 1998, and as explained in this HistoryLink.org essay, it was supplemented by other funding, from donors including the Seattle Public Library Foundation. That’s who’s sponsoring today’s party, which features other partners including DNDA (screening tote bags, below) and the West Seattle Food Bank.
Visit the branch before 7:30 pm tonight to join the celebration – also a good time to get reacquainted with the library, now that SPL’s recovery is almost complete from the tech attack that hit just before Memorial Day.
The branch is on the southeast corner of 35th/Raymond.
(Photo from spl.org)
Back in June, we mentioned that Seattle Public Library was seeking federal funding for air conditioning at five branches that didn’t have it yet, including West Seattle (Admiral). Today, the city announced it’s getting that funding – a $5.5 million FEMA grant. The installation isn’t just for comfort, the city says, but also to allow these libraries to join these others as cooling and clean-air centers in times of extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and other crisis conditions. The five installations will be done one at a time over the next two years; two of the other branches, University and Columbia, are up first.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation – a nonprofit that supports SPL – has just announced its new CEO, and sent us the announcement while pointing out that he’s a West Seattle resident:
The Board of Directors of The Seattle Public Library Foundation is thrilled to announce that following an extensive national search, Brian Lawrence has been selected as the Foundation’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Lawrence previously served as Deputy Executive Director for the Foundation, The Seattle Public Library’s nonprofit fundraising partner. He stood out in a field of outstanding candidates due to his overall vision for advancing the library’s mission, his stellar reputation in Seattle and beyond, and the track record he has established at the Foundation.
“Brian has been an integral part of the Foundation’s success, and he is highly respected in our organization, at the library, and by donors and many others in our community,” said Board President Sarah Stanley. “His energy and enthusiasm for stepping into this role, and his vision for expanding equity and access, are clear. We’re excited about how he will move the Foundation forward.”
Since 2017, Lawrence has spearheaded the Foundation’s fundraising campaigns, overseen key investments to grow library programs and collections, and strengthened partnerships with library staff and community organizations. He has established himself as a thoughtful voice on the role of libraries in our society, recently demonstrated by his key leadership role in the national Books Unbanned initiative.
“We couldn’t ask for a better partner at the head of the Foundation than Brian,” said Tom Fay, Chief Librarian & Executive Director of The Seattle Public Library. “He has shown great commitment to our library, our staff, and our patrons. Many of our services have been enhanced through the work of Brian and his team, and he’s been a great thought partner as we’ve developed our strategic framework this year. He is well-positioned to support our objectives and has deep connections to our supporter network.”
Brian grew up in Michigan and worked in the auto racing industry before moving to Seattle. He obtained a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University and has worked for organizations including the Pacific Science Center, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and The Mockingbird Society. Brian lives in West Seattle, serves on the Seattle University Alumni Council, and enjoys reading (of course!) and recreating in the North Cascades.
After longtime CEO Jonna Ward announced her departure earlier this year, the Board engaged with a global search firm to select a leader who could steer the organization into the future. The Board expresses its gratitude to each of the candidates who applied and to the donors, advocates, and community leaders who provided thoughtful input during the search process.
For 30 years, the Seattle Public Library has welcomed volunteers to help local students with their homework during drop-in after-school hours. This year, they’re recruiting volunteers for free Homework Help tutoring at the High Point and South Park branches. Citywide, last school year, SPL says 1,100 students used Homework Help more than 4,400 times, aided by more than 180 volunteers. SPL says 60 percent of the students reported better grades as a result of the help they received. You can be part of kids’ success this year! Here’s what SPL wants prospective volunteers to know:
Volunteers must be 18 or older. Having competence in another language, especially Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali, Oromo and Spanish, is also helpful. The majority of students served by the program are youth of color, with 90% of students reporting their parents speaking a language other than English at home.
Volunteer tutors receive an orientation and additional materials about working with youth and concepts such as social-emotional learning and growth mindset.
During Homework Help sessions, volunteers help students with homework, play learning games, read to students, or work with them on academic worksheets. Volunteers work with students individually and in small groups. High-school students can get help with not just academic subjects but with other priorities such as college essays.
Because Homework Help is a drop-in program, students can show up any day to receive help, and they do not need to have a Library card to attend. Snacks are provided at every Homework Help session, courtesy of The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Hunger Intervention Program.
Can you help? Or, have a question? You can email SPL’s Volunteer Services Coordinator at volunteer@spl.org (and find more info here). They’re hoping to hear from new volunteers ASAP as the new school year approaches, but they do also accept volunteer applications throughout the year.
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