COVID Vaccine Clinics at The Seattle Public Library – Summer 2023

Public Health – Seattle & King County is hosting free community vaccine clinics at a number of Library locations over the next couple of months. More clinics may be added. Check back at this post.

All approved vaccines will be available for people 6 months and older. You don’t need to register. Supplies are limited. Vaccines are provided at no cost, regardless of insurance, citizenship or immigration status. Masking and social distancing at the event is required.

Here is the schedule of events; we hope to see you there!

• Ballard Branch, 5614 22nd Ave. N.W. (outdoor plaza)
  • Wednesday, June 14 from 2 p.m. to 6p.m.
• Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave. (fifth floor)
  • Wednesdays, June 14 and 21, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Delridge Branch, 5423 Delridge Way S.W.
  • Tuesday, Aug. 29, from noon to 4 p.m.
• Greenwood Branch, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N. (meeting room)
  • Saturday, June 10, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Lake City Branch, 12501 28th Ave. N.E. (meeting room)
  • Friday, June 16, from noon to 5 p.m.
• NewHolly Branch, 7058 32nd Ave. S.
  • Wednesday, June 21, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Rainier Beach Branch, 9125 Rainier Ave. S. (meeting room)
  • Monday, June 12, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Summer Hours for 4 Library Branches

Courtesy of Ronan Futura of Unsplash

Summer is coming, which means (hopefully) that many days of sunshine are ahead. It also means that The Seattle Public Library’s non air conditioned branches sometimes have to close early for the comfort and safety of our staff and patrons.

To help reduce heat-related closures this summer, the Library is shifting hours for four of our non-air conditioned branches: From June 21 to Sept. 12, the Fremont, NewHolly, Northeast and Southwest branches will shift their operating hours on two days a week to 10 to 6 p.m. instead of from noon to 8 p.m.

Here are the operating hours for those branches, starting on June 21.

• Fremont Branch, 731 N. 35th St.
  • Closed Monday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
• NewHolly Branch, 7058 32nd Ave. S.
  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week
• Northeast Branch, 6801 35th Ave. N.E.
  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week
• Southwest Branch, 9010 35th Ave. S.W.
  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week

On Your Bookmark: Summer Book Bingo Starts Today

Grab a stack of books, a friend and start reading — Seattle’s favorite summer reading contest is on! The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures just launched this year’s Summer Book Bingo, which encourages people to read for pleasure and to talk about books with friends, coworkers and neighbors.

Need a refresher? Book Bingo encourages you to read (or listen to) books from a wide variety of categories and to keep track of what you’ve read on your Book Bingo card. Read five books to complete a row on your card for bingo or read 25 books to complete all the squares for blackout.

Get started by downloading your Book Bingo card, designed by artist Monyee Chau, at www.spl.org/BookBingo or www.lectures.org/book-bingo; This year, we are excited to share that we also have a “Loteria de Lectura” card in Spanish. Based on the classic Mexican game Loteria, this card was designed by artist Esmeralda Vasquez. You can download the card and find books lists at www.spl.org/Loteria. (Find out more about the artists on this page.)

Book Bingo and Lotería cards are also available at any Library location.

Each square on the Book Bingo card presents a reading challenge in a certain category, including “Chosen by the Cover,” “BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ Horror,” and “Joyful.” New categories this year include “Hip Hop” (to honor the 50th anniversary of the music genre), “Includes a Recipe,” “Workers’ Rights” and “Read with a Friend.”

Remember: Any type of reading counts, including audiobooks and young adult books.

Seattle Reads Turns 25 and We’re Celebrating With Julie Otsuka

The new Seattle Reads 25th anniversary exhibit at the Central Library is open until June 26 at the Level 8 Gallery.

It’s hard to imagine, but back in 1998, citywide book clubs didn’t really exist.

Enter Nancy Pearl and Chris Higashi, who were with the Washington Center for the Book (then affiliated with the Library). They came up with the concept of encouraging readers across a community to read the same book, and discuss it. They envisioned connecting readers, authors and communities, and making books widely accessible (as libraries do).

Seattle Reads — then called “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” — started in 1998. Russell Banks’ “The Sweet Hereafter,” which chronicled a small town after a devastating school-bus crash, was the first title. Banks was invited to Seattle for community events.

As documented in this 2016 Seattle Times article, a shooting and bus crash that happened in Seattle one week before Banks arrived added poignancy. “It was an intersection of life and literature,” remembered Higashi. “In a sad and wonderful way it launched the program.”

The debut book selection for Seattle Reads, then called “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book,” was Russell Banks’ “The Sweet Hereafter.”

Twenty-five years later, Seattle Reads is credited with inspiring “one city, one book” programs in all 50 states and all across the world.

Taking a Stand for the Right to Read with Books Unbanned

If you’ve followed the news about the unprecedented increase in book bans and challenges nationwide, you’ll be happy to know that The Seattle Public Library is doing something about it.

Sign up for a Books Unbanned card at www.spl.org/BooksUnbanned

On April 29, we announced that we are joining Brooklyn Public Library to offer a free Books Unbanned e-card for teens and young adults (ages 13 to 26) across the nation who live outside of our service area. With a Books Unbanned card, young people can access our entire collection of more than 700,000 e-books and audiobooks, with some parameters (maximum of 10 checkouts and five holds).

You can sign up and get access within 1-2 days on The Seattle Public Library’s website at www.spl.org/BooksUnbanned.