Did you know SPL has tons of public art you can see for free? 🖼 🗿
The “Reading in Relation” mural by E.T. Russian (@letmebedoubleclear) is the latest! You can find it outside the ZAPP Zine Room (which also features E.T.’s zines) on Level 7 of the Central Library.
E.T. is a multi-sensory artist, maker of comics and zines, disability justice advocate and healer from the Pacific Northwest. They shared the inspiration behind the mural, and why creating public art is important to them.
Learn more about art at the Library at the link in our bio.
After working with other general contractors when her basement flooded, Tameka Lamar and her husband decided to start their own company, J J Freemann Construction & Painting.
"At first we thought, 'oh we can do this,'" she said. "Easier said than done!" So where can Seattle-area entrepreneurs go for help when they're starting out?
In our first edition of SPL Small Business Tips, Tameka shares two resources that have helped on her journey as a first-time small business owner!
1️⃣ Bobe.wa provides education and networking for Black business owners across Washington State. Their annual Symposium happens on Feb. 1 to kick off Black History Month, and they also host virtual Tribe Vibe meetings and other events throughout the year.
2️⃣ The Seattle Public Library has market research tools, business plan handbooks and more to support your small business. Additionally, we have Drop In and CoLab with Denkyem Coop and SPL at the Beacon Hill Branch - a collaborative co-working space designed for Black business owners. This program is a supportive space for business owners to get all types of business research support from a SPL business research librarian and cohesive business strategy support from Denkyem, or to bounce ideas off of like minded entrepreneurs!
Need a date you can always rely on? Our SPL staff have you covered. Dive into your next literary crush this Valentine’s Day! Check out the link in our bio for the full list.
🕙 Our open hours are expanding at 9 locations today! 📚 🥳
We’re adding hours at nine branches across the city. All library locations will be open at least 6 days a week! One more reason to celebrate: the schedule is expected to stay the same throughout 2025!
See your branch’s schedule at www.spl.org/Hours.
If your commute used to be The City and Its Uncertain Walls, the short story... and now it’s The City and Its Uncertain Walls, the novel... we’re here to help. With books, e-books, audiobooks, music and streaming movies & TV shows to make the trek to work a little more fun! (Drivers, we have tons of audiobooks to choose from 🛣️ 👀)
2024-2033 Strategic Plan | The Seattle Public Library
✨ See our plan for the next 10 years
We listened as you told us what you need from The Seattle Public Library. Things like...
💻 More access to books and information
🎶 More diverse programming across all age groups
🤝 More support for our partner organizations
With your input, we created a vision for the next decade, and a plan to bring it to life. That's why our Strategic Plan is more than ideas. It’s a guide we’ll follow to improve services for everyone and make a lasting impact on our city.
Learn more and explore the Strategic Plan at www.spl.org/Future. Stay tuned to see our progress, and ways you can get involved!
✍ Applications for the 2025 Writers’ Room Residency open through January 17 💻
Even if you’ve spent hours exploring every nook and cranny of the Central Library, you may not have known about the Writers’ Room! Located on Level 9, the Writers’ Room offers a space for individual writers to work on their projects, access Library resources and connect with a supportive writing community. YA author and Writers’ Room Resident Sunshine Bacon gives us a tour, along with 5 reasons to apply.
The Residency is open to writers of all fields and genres, and you don’t have to be under contract or published to be a Resident!
Learn more and apply at the link in our bio.
Our Artist in Residence @vaquero_azul_art is hosting open studio hours! Join us at the Central Library December 16-19, 12:30-2:30 p.m to hear about his design process, and how he is incorporating LGTB2QIA+ design choices into traditional folklórico garments.
Folklórico is a style of dance that is kept alive today by Mesoamerican Indigenous communities. Vaquero Azul is a costume designer for @danzamonarcas, one of only a few LGBTQ+ folklórico groups in the U.S. and Mexico.
Register at the link in our bio.
Already seen Wicked? Oh you saw it three times? Us too. Here are a few more plays you should check out, as suggested by Jane and Eliza. Swing by Central Library on Level 8 to browse the whole collection.
Everything is free!
Today is Buy Nothing Day, and your Library is a great place to buy nothing, and do a lot for free! We've got free books, movies, tutoring, newspapers, author talks, job resources, language learning tools, and so much more.
And we haven't charged late fines for overdue items in almost 5 years!
🎃 Halloween is just the START of spooky season at SPL! Come to our horror events in November and December... if you dare 😱
🦇 Horror Hangover: Beyond Stephen King
📅Thursday, November 21, 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Central Library
@hwaseattle and @cascadewriters present a panel of PNW horror heavyweights discussing how the horror genre is becoming more diverse, representative... and weird! With @mother.horror @kendareblake @rossonkeith @wendy.n.wagner @gordon.b.white
🧟♀️ Our New Horror Section... It’s Alive!
📅 Friday, December 13, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Central Library
Celebrate the launch of our new horror section with readings, displays, crafts, and conversation featuring @mother.horror and @thetreevolution. Costumes are encouraged!
Register for free at the link in our bio. Happy Halloween!
5️⃣🥳 Celebrating 5 years fine free 5️⃣🥳 We do not charge daily late fines for overdue items! Visit us at spl.org.
