Books for Teachers
Since 2009, the Friends of The Seattle Public Library have been honored to receive annual grants from the Renee B. Fisher Foundation and the Ballard Elks to provide classroom books for teachers in high-need (Title I) Seattle public schools. Since then, we’ve helped put more than 130,000 books into the classrooms and hands of our youngest readers. If you’d like to support this program, please consider purchasing a book (or 10!) off our Target gift registry and our Books for Teachers list on Bookshop.org.
If you’re a teacher at a Title I school who would like to participate in this program, please write booksforteachers@friendsofspl.
Books for Teachers donors
Magnolia Bookstore
Queen Anne Books
Half Price Books
Elliott Bay Books
Mercer Street Books
Sammamish High School Key Club
Issaquah School District
First Library Card Recognition
With special funding from a generous gift, the Friends of The Seattle Public Library present “My First Library Card” Totes! The program is for children six and under. Upon signing up for their first card at any Seattle Public Library branch, children receive a book bag with a special design celebrating this milestone. The bags are specifically chosen to fit picture books and accommodate the smaller stature of our young patrons. In most years, approximately 5,000 totes are distributed!
Freeway Park
Visit the Freeway Park Book Carts to purchase new and used books year round from the Friends. Books are sold for between two and four dollars. Visit the Freeway Park Association’s website to learn more.
Community Support
The Friends work with branch librarians to identify local groups and organizations who benefit from having books available to their communities. As of July 2023 the Friends have given over 8700 books to the Seattle community including King County Health Clinic, Juneteenth at NAAM, PrideFest, Seattle Veterans Medical Center, The Book Project, Goodwill, and Little Free Libraries. Over the years we have supported these programs with thousands of books that have come from patron donations and deaccessioned library materials. Our partners over the years include:
Boys & Girls Club
Cascade Center
Chief Sealth International High School
Child Haven
Denise Louie Head Start
Family Works Food Bank
Family Works Service Center
Grievers Library
Headstart Classes
Hunger Intervention Program
Jacksom Park Village
John Rogers Jumpstart Program
Lake City WIC
Lazarus Day Center
Little Brook Park Lunch Program
Mary’s Place
Meadowbrook View Apartments (low income housing—LIHI)
Neighborcare
Neighborcare (Reach out and Read site)
North Helpline
North Helpline Foodbank
2020
North Seattle Family Center WIC
Northhaven Senior Living
NSFC-Roll and Read
Olympic Hill Headstart
Olympic Hills Jumpstart Program
Olympic Hills Kindergarten
Olympic Hills Summer School
Parks department lunch programs city wide
Play n Learn
Reach Out and Read program at UW Pediatric Care Clinic
SeaMar
Seattle/King County Clinic
Tent City 3
University District Food Bank
University Family YMCA
West Seattle Food Bank
Yesler Community Center
YouthCare Youth Build Program
Youth Tutoring Program
Little library book drops
We deliver used books to Free Little Libraries across Seattle. If you’ve got a Little Free Library and you’re a lucky host to one of these books, be sure to share it with our hashtag #friendsoftheseattlepubliclibrary!