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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 5 |
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| 1914 | 3 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1924 | 1 |
139 stories matching librari
- A Dressmaker Offered to Sew Seattle’s Library Out of Trouble
With the public library’s appropriation nearly gone and no new books leaving the shelves, an anonymous patron proposed making dresses for commission members and giving the proceeds to the library.
- Kennewick’s Free Library Runs Out of City Money
With city revenues short, the Kennewick Public Library must raise a year’s rent by March 1 or risk losing the free reading room that served hundreds of children.
- The Struggle for Walla Walla's Public Library
A member of the Woman's Reading Club details the 'snags' of local politics, skepticism, and stalled funding that plague the effort to establish a permanent library.
- Ten Cents a Month to Read: Seattle Votes to Put Its Library on the Payroll
After a night of wrangling, the Board of Aldermen and the House of Delegates agree to spend $250 and charge adult borrowers a monthly fee to keep the circulating department open — over the objection that the city cannot afford it.
- The Library We Don't Have Yet
A call for city leaders to lobby Andrew Carnegie for funding, arguing that a public library would be a cornerstone of local progress.
- The Library Was Closed Because the Landlord Wouldn't Turn Up the Heat
In 1895, Seattle's public library shut its doors over a $25 balance, unpaid rent, and a landlord who promised warmth 'in the spring.' City Council considered a rescue.
- Seattle's Public Library Gets a Grand Opening
Civic leaders and citizens celebrate the opening of the city’s new library rooms, featuring an elegant ladies' reading room and aspirations for a permanent building.
- The Library Trustees and the Question of Control
A new library for Seattle comes with strict conditions: no religious control, no religious dogma in book selection, and strict financial oversight.
- Aberdeen’s First Library Begins as a 'Nest Egg'
A modest collection of books and a donated office space mark the first steps toward a civic institution.
- When Seattle's Library Ran Out of Money
A $65 February appropriation against $400 in monthly expenses forces the library commission to close the circulating department and beg city council for relief.
- City Council's Library Investigation Called a Political Stunt
The Post-Intelligencer defends the library commissioners against a toothless investigation initiated by Delegate Lyon.
- Ten Cents a Month to Save Seattle's Library
With the library closed for lack of funds, the commission and City Council try a subscription fee—and a last-minute deal to reopen.
- Newport Residents Band Together to Establish Public Library
A group of civic-minded citizens incorporates a library association, elects trustees, and seeks city hall space for a free public library.
- Seattle's Library Reopens — With a Fee for Taking Books Home
After slashing salaries, trimming the light bill and a landlord's six months of free rent, the library commission reopens the doors under a 10-cent-a-month borrowing charge.
- Seattle's Public Library Gets New Quarters
After operating out of the Occidental block, the city’s growing collection finds a new home in the Collins building.
- The Forgotten Dream of an Open Seattle Library
In 1885, Seattle residents could access the University's library for just one dollar a quarter, a radical experiment in civic education that the local press urged to become a permanent foundation for the city's future.
- White Bluffs Opens Its First Public Library
After years of planning, the Woman's Club establishes a public space for books in a local store.
- Seattle Public Library Prepares for Expansion
After issuing nearly 100,000 books in 1893, the growing city library prepares to move into new quarters in the Collins Block.
- A Library for North Seattle
How the local lodge of Odd Fellows stepped up to provide education and public gathering space to a growing community.
- Seattle's Public Library Dreams Put on Hold
After clearing the site of previous tenants, city officials stall on the construction of a new permanent home for the public library, leaving the project in limbo.
- Lewiston Beats Walla Walla to a Carnegie Library—Will the City Council Act?
As tiny Lewiston secures a $25,000 Carnegie library, The Statesman demands Walla Walla's council accept Andrew Carnegie's offer and secure the city's claim to a 'Greater Walla Walla.'
- The Library Hatchet Prank
An unknown intruder bypassed the Kennewick public library's security, but left with nothing to show for it.
- The Library Overwhelmed
Seattle's public library is struggling to keep pace with an insatiable public, as staff and patrons debate the merits of a complex new cataloging system.
- Seattle's Library on the Brink: Fines Fall, Debt Rises
The city's finance committee and library commission meet to confront a growing debt caused by declining fine revenue, as circulation soars and the institution struggles to stay open.
- Andrew Carnegie's $25,000 Gift for Walla Walla
After persistent lobbying by the local Commercial Club, the industrialist agrees to fund a new public library—if the city commits to ongoing maintenance.