Central Library Amenities & Equipment
Visit your Library to find a space to meet, study, work or read. You can use public computers and free Wi-Fi at all 27 Library locations. Find out what else you can do at your Library.
Though Library branches are reopening, not all services and amenities are available. Meeting rooms, study rooms, in-person programs and are not yet available. Only levels 1, 3 and 5 of the Central Library are currently open to the public. If you need an item located on a closed floor, you can request it from staff on level 3. Thank you for your patience.
Meeting & Study Rooms
- Our meeting rooms are available to use for a fee and can accommodate up to 275 people, depending on the room. We also have free meeting and study rooms you can use at our branch libraries.
- Our 4 Skype Rooms are available by reservation at the Literacy/ESOL and World Languages desk on Level 1.
- We have comfortable seating areas and tables with electrical outlets for you to read, study, work, relax or recharge.
Computers & Equipment
- Our 338 public computers are available for catalog research or up to 90 minutes of internet access per day.
- Wireless Internet Access (Wi-Fi) is free for anyone to use during open hours.
- We have copiers and printers available to use for a small fee. You can also print from your own device on our Wi-Fi network.
- We are a WorkSource Connection Site and have 7 dedicated computers for job searching and resume writing.
- Our 10 Microsoft Office computers are available for offline work.
- We have adaptive equipment to help people who are blind or have low vision use computers and other Library resources.
- We have 4 microfilm reader machines available for use on Level 9.
- We are a Funding Information Network site of the Foundation Center and have 2 dedicated computers for grant research on Level 7.
Other Amenities
- Our Library Equal Access Program (LEAP) helps people who are blind, have low vision or are hard of hearing. You can find the LEAP lab on Level 1.
- We have English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and Citizenship classes and services available.
- Our World Languages collection on Level 1 has books and media in dozens of languages.
- We have bilingual staff.
- We have areas for children and teens. You can find the children’s area on Level 1 and a teen space with computers on Level 3.
- Our Seattle Collection contains items related to Seattle's history and includes published materials, Seattle city documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, maps and atlases, high school yearbooks and oral histories, artwork and an autograph collection. View items from the collection in the Seattle Room on Level 10.
- Our Aviation History Collection focuses on the design, manufacturing and marketing of airplanes from 1930 to 1950.
- The FriendShop on Level 3 sells gifts, cards, artwork and crafts by Northwest artists. Proceeds help support the Library.
- The Chocolati coffee cart on Level 3 offers a variety of coffee drinks, hot chocolate, baked goods, chocolates and sandwiches.
- There are tables designated for eating on Level 3 near the Fifth Ave. entrance.
- We have single-occupant all-gender restrooms, multi-stall single-gender restrooms and multi-stall single-gender children’s restrooms.
- Paid parking is available in our underground parking garage.
- Our Short Edition story dispenser can be found somewhere in the Central Library. We move the dispenser to a different part of the building quarterly. Print a one, three or five-minute story to read on the spot or take with you. We update story genre available based on the location of the dispenser and any related programs.