Staff describe SPL collections growth, language access and the privately funded 'Books Unbanned' program

At the Feb. 19 Committee briefing, Seattle Public Library staff said the system’s collections have grown during the life of the 2019 levy and described several collection initiatives, expanded language access and a national digital program funded by the library foundation.

Chief Librarian Tom Fay said the system holds nearly 3 million items: about 2 million physical items and roughly 1 million digital items. He told the committee that during the levy period the collection grew from about 2.4 million items to about 2.9 million and that systemwide circulation remains high, citing 13 million items circulated in the last year and the system’s ranking “tenth in the world” for e-circulation.

Fay and colleagues described targeted steps to improve access: expanded Spanish collections at all locations, new Ukrainian and Portuguese materials at Central with citywide circulation, and bilingual board books (Dari–English and Pashto–English) available at Central and Beacon Hill. Staff also highlighted special collections such as the Douglass-Truth African American collection and the Capitol Hill LGBTQ+ collection.

The presentation included a description of Books Unbanned, a digital program launched with the Brooklyn Public Library that gives U.S. teens (13–26) access to SPL’s entire digital collection. Fay said the program has recorded 25,000 sign-ups and 730,000 checkouts since its 2023 launch and noted it is fully privately funded by the Seattle Public Library Foundation, not by levy dollars. Brian Lawrence, CEO of the foundation, told the committee the campaign produced thousands of public messages showing strong community support for libraries.