More Seattle Public Library “Homework Help” is being added at one branch in West Seattle, and the service is expanding to a new location nearby. From the announcement, here are the local highlights:

Homework Help, The Seattle Public Library’s free after school tutoring service (spl.org/HomeworkHelp), will add two locations and increase hours in February.

Starting the week of Feb. 6, the South Park Branch will offer two afternoons of Homework Help a week, and the Columbia, High Point and Rainier Beach branches will increase their weekly Homework Help hours …

At Homework Help, students in kindergarten through grade 12 can get help with their homework, as well as read and play learning enrichment games with trained volunteer tutors.

The new schedule is below; changes start the week of Feb. 6:

High Point Branch: 3411 SW Raymond St., 206-684-7454

o *Mondays, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (additional day)
o Tuesdays, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
o Wednesdays, from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

South Park Branch: 8604 Eighth Ave. S., 206-615-1688

o Tuesdays, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
o Wednesday, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Homework Help will not be offered when Seattle Public Schools is not in session, including midwinter break (Feb. 21 through 24) and spring break (April 10 through 14). Homework Help will also not be offered on Wednesday, March 22, when all Library locations are closed for All-Staff Day. Homework Help’s last day for the 2022-2023 school year will be Thursday, June 22.

SPL also continues to offer free one-on-one online tutoring at all grade levels and in three languages – find out more about that here.

The Seattle Public Library has just announced this year’s plan for free tax help, partnering with United Way of King County and AARP. Trained volunteers will be available to help you prepare personal tax returns and to answer questions. One of the eight branches at which this service will be offered is in West Seattle – the Southwest Branch at 9010 35th SW. It’ll be by appointment on Wednesdays, 1 to 6 pm, starting a week from tomorrow (February 1st). You can make an appointment and find out about other tax-help options by going to spl.org/taxhelp.

Seattle Public Library has weather-related changes again today too. Here’s the West Seattle plan:

*The High Point and Southwest branches will be open noon-6 pm
*The Delridge, West Seattle (Admiral), and South Park branches are closed

P.S. The King County Library System‘s White Center branch will be open its regular Wednesday hours, 1-8 pm.

Something to say about the Seattle Public Library? Tell it to the person in charge, in person, next week. Just announced this morning:

Tom Fay, Seattle’s newest Chief Librarian, will host his first Community Conversation with Library patrons from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 4, in the meeting room of the High Point Branch (3411 SW Raymond St.).

Fay will discuss with patrons how the pandemic has impacted current Library services and the patron experience, as well as how the Library is preparing for its long-term future.

“As we prepare to develop a new long-term strategic plan for The Seattle Public Library, we are starting our planning by listening to the needs of our patrons, our neighborhoods and our partners,” said Fay. “I look forward to hearing from community members about what is important to them and how the Library can better serve them now and in the years to come. We know that our patrons, staff, and the broader community are navigating a time of significant change. It’s important that we stay in conversation with the individuals and families we serve so that we can plan our future together.”

The High Point Branch Community Conversation is Fay’s first in a series of conversations with patrons about the future of the Library. The next Community Conversation will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the Rainier Beach Branch, and additional conversations will be held at other locations this year and throughout 2023. These events will be added to the Community Conversations page of the Library’s website as their dates and times are determined.

Patrons who would prefer to provide feedback online to the Library about current and future services can also share their thoughts on the Community Conversations page.

The Seattle Public Library is reducing hours at some branches for the rest of the summer. We compared the list of what days/hours branches will be open starting next Tuesday (July 5th) with the current days and hours, and that showed two local branches affected: Southwest will be closed on Saturdays, West Seattle (Admiral) will be closed on Fridays. Here’s the SPL explanation:

In response to ongoing staffing shortages related to COVID-19, The Seattle Public Library will temporarily reduce open hours through the summer at several locations, beginning Tuesday, July 5. The Library is tentatively planning to restore these hours in the fall when schools are back in session. …

Book returns will remain open on days that libraries are scheduled to be closed. Holds are extended during planned closure days and are held for patrons for seven open days.

The new, temporary schedule was created based on staffing availability and geographic spread to ensure Library access throughout the city of Seattle. While the Library continues to hire additional staff to support open hours, low staffing levels are primarily due to increased use of employee leave, including sick leave, COVID-19 leave, and Family Medical Leave.

It’s been less than four months since SPL restored some days/hours leading to the current schedule.

Pre-pandemic, Seattle Public Library meeting rooms were popular places for community groups to gather. Now, after more than two years, they’re available for booking again, as announced by SPL this morning. You can book online, starting here; basic rules are that the meeting has to be non-commercial and open to the public, as well as during the branch’s hours of operation. SPL also announced today that it’s changing hold-time and suspension policies as of May 23rd – details here.

The Seattle Public Library plans to add back more hours/days of operation, starting two weeks from today, on March 30th. From the announcement, here’s what the new days/hours will be at the four branches in West Seattle:

Delridge Branch, 5423 Delridge Way SW
-1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays

High Point Branch, 3411 SW Raymond St.
-1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays

Southwest Branch, 9010 35th Ave. SW
-10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays

West Seattle Branch, 2306 42nd Ave. SW
-10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays

You can compare to current hours/days by going here.

Announced today by the Seattle Public Library: The system’s Board of Trustees has chosen Tom Fay as Chief Librarian. He’s been in the role on an interim basis since Marcellus Turner left a year ago. Before that, he spent five years as SPL’s director of library programs and services. Here’s the official news release. Fay was one of two finalists for the job. According to the detailed job listing, the “mid-range salary” for his new job is $203,700. The system he’ll be running has four branches in West Seattle – in Admiral, North Delridge, High Point, and Westwood.

(Sign on door of West Seattle branch Sunday, photographed by Gina)

Today was the first day in four days that West Seattle didn’t have a Seattle Public Library branch closed for what the system called “staffing shortages.” Several branches around the city were closed on each of three days – Friday, including the Southwest branch; Saturday, including the Delridge branch; and Sunday, including the West Seattle (Admiral) branch. We followed up as promised, to ask if the shortages were the result of COVID, or something else. Here’s what SPL spokesperson Laura Gentry told WSB:

The Library has experienced low staffing numbers recently due to an increase in sick calls, an increase in vacation leaves around the holidays, and an increase in usage of family medical leave.

We do have an ongoing hiring effort to staff back up after receiving restored funding to do so. However, our first round of hiring resulted in several internal promotions, which has led to another round of hiring that requires additional orientation and training time. Even as we do become more fully staffed, it’s difficult to predict the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on our staff.

We do try to rotate which branches are closed due to low staffing in order to not impact certain neighborhoods more often than others. However, we also try to keep certain high-use branches open every day, if possible. These branches are often located near major transit lines and are geographically spread throughout the city to ensure coverage in all areas of Seattle.

We are currently taking a closer look at this approach to see if there is a way we can create more consistency for our patrons while we are in this situation.

West Seattle has four SPL branches, mapped here.

Thanks to Gina for the tip. Seattle Public Library‘s rotating closures continue – today the West Seattle (Admiral) branch is closed. SPL cites a staffing shortage. The book drop, however, is open.

Last month, the Seattle Public Library asked for your thoughts on its search for a new Chief Librarian. Tonight, a new survey – this time, about the basics. What hours should your local libraries be open? What services should they offer? How did the pandemic change the way you used libraries? The focus is on priorities for the levy that Seattle voters passed two years ago, now that all libraries have reopened and the mayor’s budget proposes restoring full general-fund support for SPL. The survey is here, available in eight languages – Amharic, Chinese, English, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese. You also can answer it at any library location, either on paper or via a library computer. If you don’t have time now, it’s open until November 8th.

(Photo sent by Eileen)

Thanks for the tips. The Southwest Library is closed today. The note on the door attributes it to a “building emergency”; one reader just forwarded an email reply they received, explaining that the branch “did not open today due to staffing issues. They were having an issue with their phone system as well and were not able to update their hours on their phone either.” There’s now a note on the website but that wasn’t there when the reader checked hours before heading to the branch. The note also says that “Book Returns are open and holds will be extended.”

Also tomorrow: Days/hours expand at most Seattle Public Library branches, including the five in West Seattle and South Park. From the SPL announcement:

Delridge Branch
Operating hours as of Sept. 1: 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

High Point Branch
Operating hours as of Sept. 1: 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

South Park Branch
Operating hours as of Sept. 1: 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Southwest Branch
Operating hours as of Sept. 1: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

West Seattle Branch
Operating hours as of Sept. 1: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

(Masks required.) The announcement also notes that SPL “will continue to restore hours of operation as staffing levels permit, and seeks to return to full, pre-pandemic, 7-day service, including evening hours, by the end of October.”

The Seattle Public Library, which has four branches in West Seattle, is looking for a new leader – Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner has announced his departure after a decade. Here’s the SPL announcement:

The Seattle Public Library announced that Executive Director and Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner, who has led the Library since 2011, is accepting a new post as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Librarian for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in Charlotte, N.C.

“I am so grateful and proud to have led a passionate and creative team of people at The Seattle Public Library who deliver library services to one of the greatest cities of literature in the world,” said Turner. “I am confident the Library – with its dedicated board, strong leadership, committed staff and community support – will make a smooth transition, and I personally can’t wait to see how that unfolds. Thank you, Seattle, for the opportunity to be a part of your story.”

In a statement, The Seattle Public Library Board of Trustees president Jay Reich praised Turner’s leadership and accomplishments during his nearly 10 years of service, which he says leaves the Library in an ideal position to make the transition.

“While the Library Board of Trustees is very sad to see Chief Librarian Turner leave, his leadership has created a foundation of excellence that I know will sustain us through this transition and beyond,” said Reich. “Under his watch, the Library has earned national recognition and has underscored and reinforced its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. He leaves the Library well prepared for continued success. We wish him well in his new role.”

Reich said the Library Board will name an interim Chief Librarian very soon and will immediately begin the search for a permanent replacement. View Reich’s complete statement on spl.org.

Turner’s last day at The Seattle Public Library will be Wednesday, March 31. He will begin his new position as CEO and Chief Librarian of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library on Thursday, April 1.

(WSB file photo: Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner during a 2017 visit to High Point Library)

As part of another expansion of pandemic-era services, the Seattle Public Library has just added two more days of curbside service each week at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW). Starting today, that branch will offer curbside service noon-6 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays. Southwest is one of two branches on the peninsula that offer curbside service; the other is High Point (3411 SW Raymond), which remains on a three-day-a-week curbside schedule, noon-6 pm Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Those two branches also are among the locations where SPL is now providing curbside printing-pickup service. SPL also has added return services at the West Seattle (Admiral) branch (2306 42nd SW) and South Park branch (8604 8th S.); the Delridge branch is now the only branch in our area without either curbside service or return service.