The Seattle Public Library’s Central Library and 26 neighborhood branch libraries continue to operate with standard hours. With guidance from Public Health – Seattle & King County and the Washington State Department of Health, the Library is evaluating its services daily and planning for potential future scenarios by developing staffing and service models should any Library location be impacted by the current coronavirus outbreak in Washington state.
At this time, due to current guidance from public health officials and in the interest of protecting patrons and volunteers in high-risk populations, the Library has canceled all programs and events, both private and public, for the month of March. This change takes effect Saturday, March 7. The Library has also canceled all Bookmobile service in March. The Library’s Books By Mail service will continue for the patrons who use it. All external meetings scheduled in Library meeting rooms are also canceled.
“We are committed to protecting the health of our patrons and staff, while still offering essential Library services, including our many wonderful digital resources,” said Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner.
Patrons can stay updated on changes to Library services by visiting our website at spl.org; with a special page on coronavirus updates.
The Library continues to follow best sanitation practices for workplaces, and has made several changes to reduce exposure, including adding sanitation stations to locations and pulling toys and loose playthings from children’s areas.
The Library’s many digital services continue to be available to patrons for free, including e-books and e-audiobooks, streaming TV, movie and music services, classes, and digital subscriptions to newspapers and magazines. Due to the Library’s elimination of daily overdue fines in January, 2020, patrons can keep materials a bit longer without worrying about fines, and can also renew materials for a third time, provided others are not waiting.
