A-Z Programs & Services

Every summer we partner with Seattle Arts and Lectures (SAL) to create a Summer Book Bingo card for adults. If you achieve bingo or blackout you will be entered to win fabulous prizes!

Join us each August for a series of programs on the 4th Avenue plaza at the Central Library. 

We host many free arts programs throughout the year, from outdoor music and dance performances in the Central Library outside plaza to opera, symphony and ballet previews.

We are here to look up information for you, help you with your Library account, offer reading recommendations and more.

Some of Seattle’s best drag artists and comedians give performances inspired by their favorite banned books.

We offer in-person tutoring, informal conversation groups, classes, and online learning options to suit all learning styles.

Nurture a love of learning with our “Begin with Books” theme kits for children ages 0-6.

Beyond the Frame is a community-wide initiative revisiting the photographs of Edward S. Curtis and sparking conversations on Native identity, race and resilience, art and culture.

We celebrated Seattle Bird Week April 23-30. In partnership with the Seward Park Audubon Center and other local organizations, we hosted nature writing classes, bird sketching and more.

We host book groups for adults, children, teens, families, and low-vision, deaf and hard of hearing, and Spanish- and Chinese-speaking patrons.

Books on Bikes brings our Library services to community events around Seattle.

Lift a glass and a book for Booktoberfest! This October, our librarians visit your favorite bars and pubs for Booktoberfest, our annual celebration of books, beer and good cheer.

Visit level 3 at the Central Library to hear stories recorded by book lovers on the Call Me Ishmael phone.

We have free classes and resources to help you prepare to become a United States citizen.

We can help high school students prepare for graduation and college with the help of trained volunteers at your Library.

Executive Director and Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner invites you to join him in a discussion about current and future Library services at a series of "Community Conversations." Everyone is invited to attend these conversations. Thank you for sharing your ideas for the future of The Seattle Public Library.

We offer free programs and events to strengthen our community and celebrate Seattle’s many cultures.

Criminal justice and the impact of incarceration is a social justice topic we explore through programs, discussions and resource lists.

Learn how to use the latest technology for creative projects.

Working with the City of Seattle, we promote digital equity through our programs and services.

Our digital media learning programs are designed as a fun way for the community to learn how to use digital media to succeed at work, school, and life in general.

Nurture childhood development through our early learning programs.

Visit our level 8 gallery space at the Central Library for touring exhibits, pieces from our Special Collections or works from artists addressing a current theme.

Teens can make a Fresh Start thanks to support from The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the generosity of Library patrons.

We offer board games, drop-in chess and video game console sessions for teens and tweens at some Library locations.

Trace your family history with our genealogy resources.

The Global Reading Challenge is a Battle of the Books program for 4th and 5th graders enrolled in Seattle Public Schools.

"Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived & Well-Drawn!" is a traveling banner exhibit that explores how the increasingly popular field of graphic medicine uses comics to tell personal stories of illness and health. The exhibit was on view at Central Library from May 21 to June 30, 2018.

The History Café is an ongoing series of free forums to help foster community conversations about local history.

The homelessness crisis in Seattle is a social justice topic we explored in 2016 through programs, discussions and resource lists.

If you are working on a tough homework assignment or have questions about a lesson, come to the Library for Homework Help.

We help immigrants and people preparing for citizenship with programs and media in English and other languages.

Join us for programs celebrating Indigenous Sovereignty.

Protecting the x̌ʷəlč: Indigenous Stewardship of the Salish Sea exhibit illuminates how water is intertwined in every aspect of living.

We are strongly committed to intellectual freedom, one of our guiding principles and the cornerstone of all public libraries.

Free job search and career development programs are offered at the Central Library and Ballard Branch.

Organizamos decenas de eventos gratuitos en español o bilingües para niños cada mes.

Free meals and snacks are available for kids and teens in need after school during the school year and all summer long at select branches.

We can help you understand your legal rights as an immigrant or refugee.

We host frequent concerts sponsored by the Ladies Musical Club, an organization of women whose mission is to foster appreciation of classical music in the Seattle community through education, performance and awards.

Learning Buddies is an education enrichment program for K-5 students at the Beacon Hill, Columbia, Douglass-Truth, NewHolly and West Seattle branches.

Legendary Children is a late night of extravagant style that spotlights all the gorgeousness of QTPOC communities.

Come to your Library to build your own creation with Lego bricks.

The Library is a place for everyone, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation. We work with local organizations and community members to offer programming for LGBTQ patrons and allies.

Library Link is a pilot collaboration between The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Public Schools to connect middle school student with online resources and media.

Raise a glass to literature in the Library Lounge, a moveable feast of events and celebrations all around Seattle that combine literature and libations.

LibraryLab is a place where science, technology, engineering and math are fun and interactive!

Living Cultures is a photography exhibit that explores contemporary Native American/First Nations life of the Haida, Lummi, Tlingit, and the Kwakwaka’wakw nations by Sharon Eva Grainger with narratives by tribal elders.

Come to your Library and learn how to program robots, create a mobile app, make crafts with electrical circuits and other fun projects.

Learn technology skills online through the Microsoft Imagine Academy.

With Mobile Library Services, we ensure that everyone in Seattle has access to information, ideas, and stories.

We screen free movies at many of our neighborhood branches and we also occasionally host curated film festivals covering a wide spectrum of topics and interests

Your Library helps you get free admission to participating Seattle museums.

We offer free performances all year at many of our branches and other locations.

To celebrate children getting their first Library card, children age 0 - 6 will receive a special "My First Library Card" tote bag.

Throughout the year, we host preview lectures of upcoming performances by the Seattle Opera, Seattle Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra.

Join us for a poetry discussion group at one of our neighborhood branches and discover new and familiar poets with fellow poetry lovers.

We participate in the Mayor’s Race and Social Justice Initiative to promote and support racial equity in our workplace.

We offer court-involved individuals, and their families, information and resources to help during and after incarceration.

The Seattle Public Library is a member of the King County Safe Place program.

During each school break, the Library plans fun activities! From teen reading challenges to summer learning, we have something for kids of all ages.

We offer many services to Seattle-area daycares, elementary schools, and other community agencies serving children.

Learn more about Seattle’s past at through our free history programs.

Seattle Reads is a "one book, one city" program, where people are encouraged to read and discuss the same book.

Find related resources for Seattle Repertory Theatre's season.

Explore free classes and workshops on creative writing and publishing.

Hear oral histories of life in Seattle.

We can help those facing homelessness get immediate help.

Learn about Baro Af-Soomaali, a community-created alphabet book for Somali families.

Each year we display works by local artists at the Southwest Branch.

Join us for a series of monthly lectures and presentations that focus on the history of West Seattle, the Duwamish Peninsula and the birthplace of Seattle.

Our Special Collections celebrate Seattle’s history and place in the Pacific Northwest.

Spilled Ink Music and Art Night is a free, fun after-hours celebration of Ballard High School musicians, artists and writers.

Here's your opportunity to transform your ideas for improving education into action.

Our story times are active learning opportunities where kids of all ages enjoy stories, rhymes, songs and fun with our children's librarian.

Story’hood is a series of workshops where you can learn to design a location based game.

We offer programs and services to help students of all ages succeed in school.

We have offered summer reading and learning programs for Seattle youth since 1919.

We have partnered with AARP and the United Way of King County to offer free tax help at Library branches throughout the city.

If you are new to using computers or the internet, we can help. Come to your Library for a one-to-one Tech Help session, or attend one of our technology classes.

We offer a wide range of classes and programs to help you develop and improve the technology skills that are so important in the digital age.

Every summer we play Teen Book Bingo! Middle and highschoolers, including rising sixth graders are invited to participate for prizes.

Our Teen Services librarians offer service learning opportunities for high school students.

Join us for Thrilling Tales, a lunchtime story time for adults, which features exciting short stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

We sometimes offer drop-in help for U.S. military veterans who are currently homeless or living on low incomes.

The Washington Center for the Book promotes literacy, celebrates our state’s robust literary heritage, and highlights the way libraries and reading help strengthen communities and foster civic engagement.

Tell us a little bit about what you like to read and we'll email you a list of five books chosen just for you.

Tell us what skill you want to learn and librarians are standing by to help you!