2024 Stories of Impact
From the Green Lake Branch’s historic renovation to computer classes that make a difference, examples of how the Library served our communities in 2024. Find more impact stories on our blog.
Impact at a glance
- 2.9 million in-person visits
- 300,000 active cardholders
- 10.8 million total checkouts
- 6.3 million digital checkouts
- 4.5 million physical checkouts
- 1M+ Peak Picks checkouts since 2015
- 4,500 programs with 105,000 attendance
- 1.5 million pages printed
- 10,000 meeting room bookings
- 6,000 Homework Help visits
Resiliency: A cooler, safer Green Lake Branch
In October 2024, patrons streamed into the Green Lake Branch for the first time in 20 months to see the results of a historic renovation, completed thanks to the 2019 levy. Improvements were made to seismic safety, accessibility, and climate resiliency, and air conditioning was added. The landmarked branch is now a cool summer hangout.
"It’s a great space for people to study or read or come together without having to buy anything.” – Patron
Literacy: Decades of building reading joy and skills
At a time when concerns about youth literacy are high, the Global Reading Challenge steadily nurtures reading joy and confidence for thousands of Seattle schoolchildren each year. In 2024, 3,400 fourth and fifth graders of all reading levels formed Global Reading Challenge teams. Together, they read and studied the selected books, competed in trivia contests, and learned skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
“It was the spark that lit a fire under his reading.” – Global Reading Challenge parent
Empowerment: Culturally responsive computer classes
“I knew absolutely nothing about computers. Now I know some and I want to learn more,” said Luz. Luz was one of about 30 students who attended digital literacy classes at the Delridge Branch in 2024. Community partner Villa Comunitaria provided instruction in Spanish, the students’ first language. The Library loaned wi-fi hot spots. At the end of the series, students who regularly attended took home a laptop of their own, funded by The Seattle Public Library Foundation.
“Now I can support my son with homework and online assignments from the school.” – Digital literacy student
Enrichment: The opportunity and challenge of e-books
To respond to the soaring popularity of e-books, the Library has nearly doubled our e-book collection since 2019. The challenge? Libraries are charged three to five times more for e-books than consumers. In 2024, we reduced the maximum number of holds on digital books. While e-book costs will continue to be a challenge for libraries, this measure has helped us manage expenses while continuing to invest in a broad and diverse e-collection that serves our community’s interests.
“I no longer have a car and taking advantage of e-books had been a lifesaver for me.” – Patron