Seattle has been in the top 3 most literate cities since the rankings started in 2003, a few times reaching the top spot. We love books, bookstores, librarians, so of course we invest in our libraries.
The downtown branch is famous for it's Rem Koolhaus architecture. Since the day it's opened I have referred to it as our secular temple. But the neighborhood branches are what really connect the city to the system.
We're able to order books from anywhere in the system and get them delivered to our local branch, free of charge. That includes movies and music- one of the last repositories of physical media in our city.
Well, I was dropping off some material at the Capitol Hill branch, my fabulous local, when I noticed a shelf of materials that didn't need a library card to check out. A library honor system, which just set my heart aflutter.
Doing a tour of the neighborhood branches (map) is a great way to get a feel for our city. Each branch really reflects the community that surrounds it. And each branch has amazing architecture- from the classic Carnegies of the early 1900's to modern beauties.
Depending on the season, you may even be able to participate in a mini-game, like the Passport program, which encouraged residents to visit each other's neighborhoods.
