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Seattle Public Library
Category: Public Services & Government Libraries Libraries
1000 4th AveSeattle, WA 98104
Neighborhood: Downtown
(206) 386-4636
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 10 am - 8 pm
Fri-Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Sun 12 pm - 6 pm
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
232 reviews for Seattle Public Library
232 reviews in English
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Review from Jen B.
2/9/2012 15 Check-ins Here
I love you even though you sometimes smell like homeless people.
You have dvd's for free when I'm broke and tired of watchhing Golden Girls.
You are beautiful on cold, rainy days to just sit with a hot cup of coffee and people watch.
You always notify me when my books come in.
That is all. -
Review from Niall M.
1/30/2012
Find a video of Rem Koolhas talking. He is the Dutch based architect of the library, though Joshua Prince Rasmus did most of the logistics.
He claims to be "supposedly famous".
If you're not an engineer or an architect, (or even if you are) be prepared to re-think architecture, urban planning, cities, and design.
I completely changed my view of the building after hearing his insights into its creation and function. I'm proud as a Seattleite to have a Koolhas building I can go into, as often as I like, and try to understand his team's ideas about experiencing information.
The 5th floor LCD display of what people are searching for in the catalogue is a perfect example. It's like a giant human connectome of what people are interested in!
-1 Theoretical star for who ever did the landscaping. It's bloody terrible. It's a disgrace. Ya should have just made it all concrete, instead of making me feel sad as I enter my post-modern beauty for a jaunt. -
Review from Macey W.
Seattle, WA
1/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Huge selection and nice staff, but layout doesn't give a typical homely library feel.
This library is always interesting to visit. I always come to this branch for my research papers, and I can always find many very helpful books to check out. This library is very organized with specific floors (ex 7-9 for nonfiction, a floor for teens, a floor for meetings, etc). The staff here is also very helpful, though they never are that friendly. Sometimes they offer practice SAT tests here with companies like Kaplan, which is useful because it gives off a typical SAT setting.
The only downturn for me is that this library doesn't give off a typical homely feel, like other libraries do. I guess this is just a more high tech library than those old fashion ones I'm used to. -
Review from Natalie G.
Seattle, WA
1/10/2012 4 Check-ins Here
Really cool building, fun to explore. Grab a self guided tour sheet from the helpful folks at the welcome desk to make sure you don't miss anything. They are testing out a cellphone tour which should be coming in a few months.
If you are looking for the more popular books it is best to reserve them online and they will email you when it's available.
Make sure you visit the 4th floor it is really red! -
Review from Yvonne R.
I love hanging out here. There is ample space to lounge around reading the latest US Weekly magazine, curl up on a couch/seat reading a good book, or settling down at a workstation to do some internet surfing. The atmosphere is really chill and the people are so nice.
I've been trying to drag my bf here for weeks and he kept saying "it's JUST a library..." until today when he finally came and asked if it was open all the time haha. Now he realizes why I like it. He thought there was a membership to rent books, dvds, cds...silly boy!
Which reminds me...sign up for your FREE library card at http://www.spl.org/usi... -
Review from Laura M.
Los Angeles, CA
12/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great building, and great view from inside! Even the colors in the many floors are meant to stimulate your brain!
Especially the lime green elevators!! -
Review from Alice K.
Seattle, WA
11/17/2011
It's a giant library. There are tons of international books.
The architecture is neat. Most of it makes me think: What were they thinking? But heck, as an art piece it's creative and draws tourists.
I've spent as much time here as the at-risk youth (More hours than imaginable as a college student). Used to go every other day.
Completely random note: If you wander all areas you will notice patches of.. smells.. Can't really be helped but the teen section rocks. -
Review from Todd O.
11/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
I didn't actually use any of the library's services so it would be unfair to say its "as good as it gets". Other than that, the place is "as good as it gets."
The place is beautiful and the architecture is truly amazing. The downside as like many city public places is its a good place for the homeless to re-group...shouldn't scare you off though!
If they did a tour, I'd do it. The place is really impressive.
Reminds me of Being John Malcovich with the half-floors. -
Review from Celeste T.
Seattle, WA
10/24/2011
I love the library! The architecture here is just weird, like the red floor (really, it's all red, even the ceiling) and the neon-yellow elevator that gives me motion sickness (and I have an iron stomach!)
However! Free books, free ebooks, and helpful librarians make up for the admittedly unique building. -
Review from Donald H.
Seattle, WA
1/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
Its a city treasure. Check. Beautiful. Check. Free Wi-Fi, a super check. Tons of books, space and helpful staff? Check, check, check. But this is a library, right? its supposed to be a great place to study, read, self reflection, right? But I feel its so much less a library than a community center for people to hang out. There are always people talking on their cell phone in the library. On every floor. There are people eating, drinking, chatting loudly about the Playstation 3 and about politics. Its impossible to study. I feel there should be at least one section devoted to silence but alas, if there is such a section, I have yet to find it. And the men's bathroom? Gross. I know its not their fault all the homeless people dirty it up. I get it. I would rather hold it in than even walk in there. But, looking from the outside, its a work of art. Something to be very proud of, and I am. I just wish it was a lot more quieter.
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Review from Jana S.
7/5/2011
Not to be missed, for all bibliophiles and architecture lovers...
Amazingly stunning and quasi-pyschedelic tour to walk its grounds... so many floors, differing vantage points with great lines and angles....
People spy from above, take in the Gates hall...been here several times. Each time, something new noted! An easy stop while taking the tourist jaunt.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -
Review from June Y.
185 libraries walk into a bar. The bartender says, "we don't serve libraries here." The libraries say, "come on - just check me out."
Very. Impressive.
Everything about it. The architecture, the organization, the staff, the computer lap, etc. There was not a single aspect of this library that failed to impress me.
Personally, I love libraries. A centralized location where volumes of books ate stored and available for viewing - what's not to love about a place like that?
The Seattle library (the central location - this one) is ten floors of librarian goodness. Floors 2 through 10 offer vast selection of books, music, audio, video, Internet, maps, art (paint and sculpture) and much much more.
As a first timer, be sure to visit the 10th floor for the viewing platform. You can see the ultra-fast elevators go up and down. At one end of the viewing platform, you can look down to the 3rd floor, which gave me a quick jolt to my fear of heights.
Plenty of history, art, music, and all the books you could ever want to read are here. Seattle Central Library is a definite must for visitors.Listed in: Tourist's Seattle / Portland
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Review from Albert L.
5/31/2011 3 photos
A library represents a city's commitment to public education and the freedom and availability of information for and to all that seek it. If Seattle's public library is any indication of how seriously Seattle takes education, then the city is on the right track.
This marvelous piece of architecture houses floors upon floors of books, chairs, desks, reading material, computers, and archived content. There's also a lecture hall named after Bill Gates. Each level feels distinctively different from another and more impressively the library's modernist architecture never feels alienating or cold, relying on a unique design that allows a lot of natural light to pass into the building from all of its sides. This is a truly a library set for the future.
I'm also impressed by how neat the place is, and how diligent the employees working in this structure are when it comes to maintaining silence, helping people or addressing other concerns.
A true gem in the middle of Downtown Seattle!Listed in: Seattle for a weekend!
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Review from Marin J.
7/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Part nightclub, part museum, all library.
An over used word in American culture. AWESOME. but you could apply this word a million times over and not come close to the superlatives necessary to describe the elegant glass and steel Seattle Public Library.
Prepare to be dumfounded upon approach to the building. I would recommend standing outside the building to enjoy the light play and images of cars and people reflected off of the glass. Like a living movie theatre. There are so many facets to this building in terms of the interplay off of the the other buildings, it would make any photographer mad with delight.
Now let's go inside.
I entered from the 4th street and Madison, I think. The entrance diretly across from the courthouse. Your visual experience will vary if you chose the 5th street to enter.
HUGE. the feeling of space without feeling empty and lost. The shock of green, a lurid glowing phospherent green which in any other place would feel like a cliche works off gray concrete and metal. There is a cute little library shop which I suppose is a great littlenrevenue spinner withoutnlooing like one.
The information desk Person informed me that there was a tour available. I would probably recommend it, but I declined. I like exploring on my own. It,s that kind of place. You need to feel it. And see it without interruption, it's just that cool.
The team who designed this building must have spent hours days and years contemplating how every aspect of this building would feel visually, it is an experience to just ride the elevator to the top floor. A visual cacophony. Color and light and patterns just play off one another be in the green glow of the glass on the elevator against the reflection if the ceiling. But wait, is there really a ceiling? the angles defy this.
How could so much glass, concrete and metal produce a quiet library? I don't know but the place was an old skool quiet. I was embarrassed to hear the tapping of my tiny normally quiet keyboard. For the number of people present it was eerily quiet. By the way there were mo people in here than maybe a shopping mall and it was surprisingly peaceful.
The library has many zones and areas for Internet and computer connectivity, including juice up points and free wi-fi.
There are also super cool areas to sit and read. There a funky photographic carpets in strong but muted colors delineating the zones.
Everywhere I looked, angles and colors merged and played off each other. It is a busy place visually, but extremely fun and beautiful.
Oh yes, and then there were the books,music magazines and periodicals. After all, tis was a library! -
Review from Sweet B.
Seattle, WA
9/8/2011
Free books! Do you get it!? Free books!
Our library is amazing! The collection is huge, you can do almost everything online, and the plants water themselves!
Oh, so you don't like the architecture?! So what. Does that affect your ability to read? No. Librarys are awesome! Whatever they look like. Ours just happens to be really weird, and the staff is amazing!
Did I mention free books!? -
Review from Dawn V.
Seattle, WA
8/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Before I moved to Seattle, when I was just visiting friends who lived here, the library was on my list of must-see places. While I will admit that part of this is just my nerdiness coming to the surface, it's functional nerdiness. If I'm thinking about moving to a place (no matter how far in the back of my head that might be), I have to approve of their library. If the library isn't any good, then why would I want to live there?
Luckily for me, the downtown Seattle Public Library is SUPER awesome. It's a funky and weird building, but it WORKS. The book spiral is genius. The book selection is really good, and the books are generally reshelved in a timely fashion. The reference librarians I've talked to have been largely helpful, often times above and beyond the call of duty. So all around, I'm glad to have this library to go to! -
Review from Alex S.
4/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Why did no one tell me to go see the library when I was planning to travel to Seattle?
Oh sure, we heard everything else: check out Pike Place or wander through Fremont or I hear they have good fish, maybe you should eat some fish. But no one told me the wonder of this beautiful library!
It's hard to miss - a giant glass structure with white lines forming diamond patterns throughout the outside. It's just a building that makes you stop and go, "Woah." And then when you learn it's a public building built with city money, it makes you jealous that your library isn't nearly as awesome as this one.
Inside it's just as breathtaking as it is from the out. Over 10 floors of books and DVDs and learning stations and newspaper archives and everything else you could want. The whole building it just one giant looping spiral, so you walk in circles to get from one floor to another. (You can also take the elevator, painted neon-yellow inside, or the bright red escalator to get where you are going.)
This place is a semi-labyrinth. We tried to find bathrooms and ended up in a giant blood-red hallway that made me feel like a red blood cell traveling through a capillary. Somehow we took this out to the entrance, although how we got there, I'll never know.
They also told us there was free Internet for visitors and they'd be happy to set us up if we wanted. We didn't but the thought was really nice!
I also loved watching the quick video on how the books are sorted. Nerdy? Maybe in another library, but here you get to watch the whole mechanical process how books are scanned, transported and moved onto carts to be brought back out - all by machines! Everything is robotically done with the only system of its kind. That was amazing.
So no, I didn't take out a book or a DVD or received a library card. I only got the tourist perspective of this place. Still, as a tourist, I'm going to recommend this library to everyone I know making a trip to Seattle.Listed in: Alex's Whirlwind Adventure To…
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Review from Kathy J.
Seattle, WA
5/26/2011
If I could marry a building I would marry this building.
I LOVE the seattle public library central branch. Highly recommend just riding the elevators from the bottom to the tippy top. Great way to spend the day. -
Review from Toni D.
9/11/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Amazing!!! I've walked by this library several times and just stopped in for the first time last week. Oh boy, this library is very impressive. The staff are all really nice and helpful. They must have every book ever written.
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Review from Kalani G.
Seattle, WA
7/8/2011 8 Check-ins Here
I could spend forever in here.
I would venture to guess that some homeless people actually do considering how HUGE this place is. Rem Koolhaas is the bad ass architect behind this building, and I have to say I didn't like it at first. But it has definitely grown on me these past few years especially walking through the building several times, spiraling upward through various books, rooms, artwork, and meeting places. The diversity of people coming in and out of this joint is on another level. Maybe I'm an idealist, but I like to think the library is one of the few places where everyone is on the same level.
Oh yeah. Screw iTunes and Netflix. The library is on point with their music and movie selection. It might not be available right away given the popularity of certain titles, but hey you get what you pay for =) The library doesn't have in their system what you're looking for you say? Request it. You'd be amazed how easily they can get something. -
Review from David Z.
4/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
With 196 reviews already here, I'm sure I'm repeating what's already been said, so I'll keep it brief.
The Seattle Library is:
Massive
Hip
Modern
Green
Awesome
Fun
Filled with Books
Seems like the perfect place to host an Adult Hide & Go Seek Championship... (If you don't understand the reference, it may help to put a bird on it) -
Review from Lily H.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 4/10/2011
This is National Library Week, so let's celebrate the elephants that in their mad rush to the top trample underfoot the little critters.
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I really admire the selection process of the Seattle Public Library.
In its infinite wisdom, the Library in 2009 choose as Chief Librarian Susan Hildreth, who demonstrated her inspired leadership and genuine commitment by, in less than 12 months on the job, landing a plumier job, as an Obama appointee, in D.C. Super job-tripping. Did I hear the words "shameless careerism here?:*
And she's a great believer in recycling.**
Question: How many hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money (and time) were spent on doing a nationwide search for Chief Librarian and then on her salary for those few months?
(I'm assuming Ms. Hildredth, during the interview process did not stay at the American Hostel and/or take the Greyhound bus round-trip).
With the city budget being slashed right and left and programs eliminated, has anyone noticed or been bothered by this sleight-of-hand?
What about some badly needed chairs for the Queen Anne Library, for instance? I could swear--but I'm not supposed to--that sooner or later someone--not so petite--is going to come crashing down on his/her behind when one of those creaky wooden chairs finally gives.
* http://www.libraryjour...
** In her new appointment six weeks ago, she recycled the heartfelt and highly inspirational remarks she made when she got her Seattle job: "I am so pleased and honored to have this appointment. I want to make sure we use the power of libraries and museums to enrich the lives of our citizens. We must ensure that libraries and museums continue to re-invent themselves to be powerful forces for the civic life in our communities."
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In any case, how convenient it is for Library operations to be indefinitely without a Chief Librarian.
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The last time I spent time looking for another job while employed I was actually fired for it!
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Maybe it's not only the Seattle Public Schools that need to do a spring clean-up...
Something for The Stranger to do an in-depth investigation of.
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Speaking of a waste of $$ and time, a suggestion for the Neanderthals who manage to scratch, smudge, nick, or otherwise destroy DVD's (and CD's) of the Seattle Public Library, making them unwatchable by other patrons:
What about taking a SPL class on "how to handle CD's/DVD's [that don't belong to you] without destroying them [for others]"?
The number of times I have checked out DVD's and have only been able to watch part of the DVD? About 25% of the time. So I often just have to buy the DVD.3 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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11/3/2010
"The Seattle Public Library does not permit the use of slug repellent on its premises."
Yes, hatred… Read more »
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Review from Karen A.
Sioux Falls, SD
11/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I had an afternoon to myself in Seattle, and wanted to do something that wouldn't cost money, kept me dry, and would be fun and different...the Library! The Seattle Public Library is an adventure in itself. I'm not sure I would want to regularly ride the neon escalators or hold meetings in the red spaces, but I did find a multitude of photo opps here and enjoyed the ultra modern building. I would highly encourage that, at the risk of looking like a nerdy tourist, you stop at the desk and grab the self-guided tour plan. It takes you through each floor and every highlight--all at your own pace.
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Review from Jessica L.
Seattle, WA
Have I died?
Is this the future?
I'm used to old sad dusty empty libraries where you could probably set up house somewhere in the back and they wouldn't find you for days.
I do not wish to participate in the form vs. function debate.
Or discuss the smelliness.
It's great that i can place holds online, even on items that are housed in other branches. There is an increasingly impressive database of digital media that you can check out on the website. Very few mac compatible things but I can't complain when it's free!
There are free events in the auditoriums like lunchtime concerts and author readings. And ESL classes and conversation groups. And ubernerdy library tours.
They have foreign language books that satisfy this glossophile.
There are meeting rooms and - I'm not sure I want to divulge this scarcely known fact - music practice rooms that you can reserve! I get crazy CRAVINGS to play the piano and I used to run around playing lobby pianos but I do not enjoy running from security.
The whole building is glass so you can look out at beautiful Seattle. The sun will warm you in the summer and raindrops look beautiful running down the glass. Is there anything better than reading a delicious book to the sound of raindrops?
And do you know how lucky I am? MY APARTMENT IS ONLY A FEW BLOCKS AWAY. Seattle, *sniffle* I'm never *tear* ever *wipes eye* going to *honk* leave you, k?
*I'm so grateful for this library I even capitalized and didn't use a single naughty word. FUCKING AMAZING. oops*Listed in: budget downtown
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Review from Grace C.
6/15/2011
This library is huge, colorful, and fun to explore. It is definitely not your run-of-the-mill, ho-hum dreary library.
I'm reviewing this library as a tourist, so I can't say anything about the services/books/study atmosphere... but it's definitely worth a stop if you're exploring Seattle. -
Review from Johnny W.
5/2/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I love reading, and I love libraries - in fact, the first card I got when I moved to Seattle wasn't a Washington state ID, but a library card! The Central Branch of SPL is a behemoth of a building, with some pretty neat (but also questionable) architecture and decor. There are around 10 floors or so, with many of the lower levels having a completely different look and feel, including one floor with sofa-esque benches spread across a carpeted area for casual reading, and another that's painted in an awful and garish shade of blood red.
Their collection of books is extensive, and, as with most city libraries, you can request copies from any neighborhood branch you want. While they have multiple copies of many of their popular books, some of the waiting lists are still incredibly long, which can lend to some difficulties when reading through a series. And as with most libraries, signing up for a card is free, and allows you to check out as many as 50 items (spread across books, CDs, DVDs, and so on). -
Review from Rachel C.
Bethel, NY
10/2/2011 2 Check-ins Here
It broke my heart to leave this place. Really, I was so sad when I had to leave. I bought an ornament shaped like the place to hang on my Christmas tree. That's how much I enjoyed my visit.
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Review from Rachel A.
1/13/2011
Oh god, I really want to like the library, but every time i come in here, I am subjected to creepy remarks from old men. Dude, I am here to read, NOT be told that I am pretty and should smile more. Ugh.
Major dose of hand sanitzer (and brain sanitizer) required. -
Review from Angelina V.
Seattle, WA
3/31/2011
It's too industrial. It doesn't feel welcoming. I would rather grab what I need and take it home. Not a fan.
Don't get me wrong, the architecture is amazing, just not to my liking. -
Review from Deanna J.
4/24/2011 17 Check-ins Here
Massive, massive library (if you couldn't tell from the outside.)
I heard about Seattle's amazing libraries and couldn't wait to see it when my husband and I moved here.
If you're signing up for a card, bring proof of your address with you (paper copy-they're not big on "Sure, it's on my phone") and do it on the computer; if you fill out the paper form the librarian just types everything in their computer.
It's confusing to get from floor to floor, so I recommend the elevator and not the escalator. I also highly advise asking for help when looking for a book (after trying the interactive shelf map.)
If you can, find your book online at home and reserve it. I'm sure it's much more efficient to pick it up from the Hold section instead of the 20-minute I-can-find-it-myself process.
This library probably has every book, seriously. Popular books will have several holds, so if you want to read it for free, you have to be patient. -
Review from Marie C.
West Hollywood, CA
May not seem like the cool hipster thing to do while on vacation, but it was a pretty dope library. I love books and architecture so checking this place out was heaven for me. I loved the night club red hall on the 4th Floor and the Neon Staircases. If I lived in Seattle I would def study here or grab a book to read. I am already packing my bags.
http://mysocal.wordpre... -
Review from Akvile H.
My absolute favorite library that I've ever been to yet. It is 11 stories of amazing architecture, fantastic book selection, and tons of nooks and crannies for you to grab a book, read, study, or work on your laptop. (ps- Free WiFi)
Even if you don't need to do work there or have time to read a book, you must stop in and go to the 10th floor to get great view of the city and take some fun photos. The escalators and elevators are a super fun bright yellow color (fun for pics) and the 4th floor is really awesome and red!
Stop on in, it's a Seattle gem! -
Review from Stephanie F.
Long Beach, CA
10/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
I am a nerd.
If you know me at all, you know this to be true. So when I visit a new town, I check out the library. That said, THIS library kicks ass. I spend time at my neighborhood library as it is, and if this were in my hood, I'd be there all the time (chilling with the homeless homies, there were tons).
Only complaint was that the elevators were SLOW and that was the only way to the 10th floor. -
Review from Kevin L.
9/2/2010 14 photos
Want!
Ever since I heard about it from Michelle B, I've been dying to scope out the "spaceship" of a library in Seattle. I mean... sure, there's plenty of other cool sights to see in Seattle, and sure it was an excuse to vacation with the boy... but come on. Really, I just wanted to hit up the PNW for an opportunity to see this edifice with my own eyes.
Needless to say, it didn't disappoint.
Between a café, almost a dozen floors of check-out-able materials, a shit-ton of public seating, and gloriously filtered shafts of sunlight pouring in left and right, what more could one ask for in a public library? I kind of want my parents to retire in Seattle just so I have an excuse to come and work from the glorious open top-floor study lounge.Listed in: Seattle Selections
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Review from Steph C.
11/1/2010
I asked Michael K. for a sightseeing suggestion in Seattle, and he said I should go to the library. I love libraries, but I always thought that this was a peculiar affinity on my part. I figured Mike was pandering to my book fetish, as I would probably not recommend most libraries to most tourists. In Seattle, though, I would say the public library is one of the most fascinating spots in town, worth a detour even if you don't touch a single book.
First of all, the building is tremendous. Designed by the fortuitously named architect Rem Koolhaus, it resembles nothing more than a 3D abstract rendering of an evolved Pokemon in metal and glass. The huge, beautiful creature squats royally amid Seattle's downtown skyscrapers, its walls jutting out at improbable, eye-catching angles.
When you go inside, you're met with neon yellow escalators that take you up and down the cavernous interior, where you can watch hundreds of people searching for books, jobs, and information. Cool art displays raise the library to the status of a free, small-scale museum. A particularly creepy one on an escalator depicts a woman's moving face projected on a white egg.
We took the escalator all the way to the top, and the view of the city was wonderful, if a bit restricted through the criss-crossed windows. There was also a viewpoint from which you could look down an atrium to the bottom floor of the building, which showed people standing by angled bookcases arranged over a photographic quilt with the look of a pond thick with greenery.
I didn't explore the labyrinth of books during my visit to this library, though I appreciated a selection of prominently displayed staff picks worthy of your snootiest bookstore. Mostly I was happy to ooh and aah at the sights like an uneducated beast, camera snapping. I wonder if the people of Seattle use this library more than they would in another city. I hope that they do, and I hope that unlike me, they actually get their hands on its wares of knowledge. -
Review from Kristine H.
Seattle, WA
Our Central Library branch re-opened in 2004 and according to SPL's site, in its first year of operation attracted more than 8,000 visitors a day - double the average attendance in the old building. And I can believe it! The beautiful building was principally designed by Rem Koolhaas (Netherlands) and Joshua Ramus (Seattle). Their firm, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, partnered with LMN Architects of Seattle, to give Seattle a library worthy of serious boasting.
Park underneath for a fee or take the bus here. Whether you begin at the ground floor or take the elevators all the way up, you have a LOT to see. Don't miss the vantage point from the tallest point in the library and look down. Hold onto your glasses because it's a long way down for something to fall. The beautiful carpets that you see are silk-screened with photographs of plant materia by Petra Blaisse.
Check out the Books Spiral up or down and marvel how the decimal system is worked into the floor. There are five platforms and each is devoted to a specific programme cluster. There are four open spaces are housed among the platforms, where you can take advantage of the Wi-Fi, enjoy your coffee and your book or simply talk quietly. The Microsoft Auditorium seats about 300 and the building was built with sustainable systems to lessen its energy and environmental impact.
I've never missed an opportunity to take visitors here and spend an hour or more walking around. And thinking about its beauty simply makes me want to go again. -
Review from del r.
1/6/2011
WOW! For real, the coolest library I've ever seen. If you know me, you know I've seen a lot. Again, Roger told me peruse this joint, so I kinda had to. After seeing a couple of photos, I was convinced I would need to see it for myself.
If I lived in Seattle, you can count on finding me here. The architecture is really fun, creative and a treat on a rainy evening. There is so much glass! And, the red corridor, it's like a Blood Mary meet The Shining! Really freaky, and really neat.
You don't have to have a card, just walk in and you'll see what I mean. It'll take about 20 minutes to stroll through there and you'll like what you see. -
Review from Robert T.
Seattle, WA
4/19/2011 10 Check-ins Here
This is one of the best city libraries I have ever been in, and am proud to say it is my hometown library. I just wish they could do something about the homeless people that hang around and really mess up the bathrooms.
Bonus for free parking for the first 15 minutes in the parking garage. -
Review from Jeff M.
8/23/2011
I've never used the word "badass" to describe a library. Here I go: BADASS. I spent many years in Boston and loved the Boston Public Library. In the weirdest ways, I love the Seattle Public Library for the same exact but also completely opposite reasons. Yes, it provides all the things a library should. But then the things that put it over the top: the size, the beautiful modern architecture, the personality to each area, floor, and room, yet if you need to get away, read, surf the internet, whatever you need to do, you can do it here in great comfort and quiet. When I was visiting, I was staying at the Westin (a really nice hotel, by the way, with internet), but I always came here instead. Whether or not any of these aforementioned things are something that matter to you, you should at least walk through here once. It deserves at least that.
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Review from Geebi B.
Oakland, CA
2/15/2011
This place is AMAZING!
I have never knew a library can be chic and fun! It's 10 floors tall and has so much to do. Cafe, children's room, computer room, reading room, study room and more! I went to just check out this place and had a fun sort of walk around date with my man!
