Bellingham Public Library

Last updated
Bellingham Public Library
Bellingham Public Library logo.svg
Bellingham Public Library
48°45′15″N122°28′45″W / 48.75417°N 122.47917°W / 48.75417; -122.47917
Location Bellingham, Washington, US
Type Public library
EstablishedJune 15, 1891 (1891-06-15)
Branches3
Collection
Size250,089 items
Access and use
Circulation1.5 million
Population served90,665
Members46,590
Other information
DirectorRebecca Judd
Website bellinghampubliclibrary.org
References: Washington Public Library Statistical Report, 2016 [1]

The Bellingham Public Library is a public library system serving Bellingham, Washington, US. It maintains four libraries, one in the Civic Center of downtown Bellingham, one in Fairhaven, one in Barkley Village, and one in the Cordata neighborhood, inside Bellis Fair Mall. The system is independent of the Whatcom County Library System, serving the entire county, but has a reciprocal borrowing agreement.

Contents

History

Downtown Bellingham's Carnegie library was demolished in the early 1950s Bellingham Carnegie Library.jpg
Downtown Bellingham's Carnegie library was demolished in the early 1950s
Fairhaven Library, constructed in 1905, is still in service B'ham Fairhaven Library 02.jpg
Fairhaven Library, constructed in 1905, is still in service

Bellingham Bay Public Library and Fairhaven Library were originally established separately in the early 1890s. Bellingham Bay Library opened on June 15, 1891, as a subscription library and became a free library in 1903. [2] In 1906, the city of Bellingham received funds from the Carnegie Corporation for a permanent building, which was constructed in 1908 and used until 1951, when the current Central Branch library building was opened. [2]

The Fairhaven Library also began as a subscription library in 1890. Fairhaven Library received funds from the Carnegie Corporation for a permanent building, which was completed in 1905 and is used to this day. [2] The Central Library and Fairhaven Library were consolidated into one library system in 1903, when the towns of Fairhaven and Whatcom joined to form Bellingham. [2]

Branches

The central library opened on August 19, 1951, replacing the now demolished Carnegie library. [3] In 2007, the library board recommended the replacement and demolition of the central library, citing its inefficiency and lack of space. [4] The Fairhaven branch opened on December 20, 1904, having used $15,500 in donations from Carnegie. [3] A third branch at Silver Beach was opened in 1924 and operated until 1975. [2] A branch was opened at Barkley Village on September 13, 2008, located underneath a condominium complex in space donated by the private developer. [5] A fourth branch was opened on April 28, 2023, inside Bellis Fair Mall, as part of a two-year pilot project to establish library services on the north side of Bellingham. [6]

Services

As of 2016, Bellingham Public Library circulates 1.5 million items each year and has over 46,000 registered cardholders. [1] In 2008, Bellingham's per capita circulation was 18.7–the highest rate for libraries of its size in Washington state. [7]

Bellingham Public Library hosts a number of special events throughout the year, including weekly storytime events for children, author appearances, adult literacy tutoring, and family and community outreach events. The library also offers readers' advisory talks and materials to assist patrons in selection of materials from the collection. The library has annual community reading and book discussion programs, including the Summer Reading Program and Whatcom READS. [8] Bellingham Public Library maintains special collections in genealogy and local Northwest Washington history. There are also special services for Adult Basic Education, [9] as well as a circulating collection of kits for reading groups. [10]

Collaboration

In addition to the four branches operated by the Bellingham Public Library system, materials can also be checked out and returned at Whatcom Community College Library. The Bellingham Public Library system also maintains a reciprocal borrowing agreement with Whatcom County Library System. In 2010, Bellingham Public Library became a partner with other library systems in "Whatcom Libraries Collaborate". This program allows a cardholder from any of the six library systems (including academic and public libraries) located in Whatcom County to borrow materials from any other member library. [11]

Bellingham Public Library is a sponsor of the "Whatcom READS!" program, together with Whatcom County Library System, Bellingham Technical College Library, Whatcom Community College Library, Western Washington University Library, and other local organizations. This program is modeled after the "If All Seattle Read the Same Book" project initiated by librarian Nancy Pearl, and consists of a series of discussion groups and author events focusing on one particular book, which brings the community together through literature. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Bellingham is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies 21 miles (34 km) south of the U.S.–Canada border and in between Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatcom County, Washington</span> County in Washington, United States

Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Lower Mainland of British Columbia to the north, Okanogan County to the east, Skagit County to the south, San Juan County across Rosario Strait to the southwest, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Its county seat and largest population center is the coastal city of Bellingham, comprising the Bellingham, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and as of the 2020 census, the county's population was 226,847.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Public Library</span> Public library system in New York City

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is the public library system of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the sixteenth largest public library system in the United States by holding and the seventh by number of visitors. Like the two other public library systems in New York City, it is an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the city and state governments, the federal government, and private donors. The library currently promotes itself as Bklyn Public Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairhaven, Bellingham, Washington</span> United States historic place

Fairhaven was a settlement in Washington state founded in 1883 by Dan Harris. In 1903, it became part of the city of Bellingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Public Library</span> Municipal library system of Seattle, Washington, U.S.

The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is the public library system serving the city of Seattle, Washington. Efforts to start a Seattle library had commenced as early as 1868, with the system eventually being established by the city in 1890. The system currently comprises 27 branches, most of which are named after the neighborhoods in which they are located. The Seattle Public Library also includes Mobile Services and the Central Library, which was designed by Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2004. The Seattle Public Library also founded the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), which it administered until July 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Public Library</span> Public library system in San Diego, CA

The San Diego Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Diego, California.

Bellingham School District No. 501 is a public school district in Whatcom County, Washington, United States that serves the city of Bellingham. As of the 2022–2023 school year, the district has an enrollment of 11,623 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 11</span> Highway in Washington

State Route 11 (SR 11) is a 21.28-mile (34.25 km) long state highway that serves Skagit and Whatcom counties in the U.S. state of Washington. SR 11, known as Chuckanut Drive, begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) north of Burlington and continues northwest through several small towns and the Chuckanut Mountains to the Fairhaven district of Bellingham, where the highway turns east and ends again at I-5.

<i>The Bellingham Herald</i> Main daily newspaper of Bellingham, Washington, U.S.

The Bellingham Herald is a daily newspaper published in Bellingham, Washington, in the United States. It was founded on March 10, 1890, as The Fairhaven Herald and changed its name after Bellingham was incorporated as a city in 1903. The Bellingham Herald is the largest newspaper in Whatcom County, with a weekday circulation of over 10,957. It employs around 60 people. It is owned by The McClatchy Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 539</span> North–south state highway in Washington

State Route 539 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway travels through northwestern Whatcom County and connects Interstate 5 (I-5) in Bellingham with Lynden and the Canadian border near Langley, British Columbia.

The Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) is the public transit authority of Whatcom County in northwestern Washington, based in the city of Bellingham. It provides bus service on 31 fixed routes, including branded "GO Lines" with 15-minute frequencies on weekdays, to cities in its service area. In addition to bus service, the WTA offers paratransit service and a vanpool programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fresno County Public Library</span>

The Fresno County Public Library provides books, ebooks, music, movies, magazines, newspapers, reference assistance, wireless Internet access and a variety of other services at its 35 locations throughout Fresno County, California. The library system is headquartered in Fresno, at the Central Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis Public Library</span> Public library system in Marion County, Indiana, U.S.

The Indianapolis Public Library (IndyPL), formerly known as the Indianapolis–Marion County Public Library, is the public library system serving the citizens of Marion County, Indiana, United States and its largest city, Indianapolis. The library was founded in 1873 and has grown to include a Central Library building, located adjacent to the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza, and 24 branch libraries spread throughout the county. In 2021, the public library system circulated 7.1 million items and hosted more than 2,500 programs for its 282,000 cardholders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatcom County Library System</span>

The Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) is a public library service for residents of Whatcom County, Washington. It has 10 library branches, a bookmobile, and other programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timberland Regional Library</span>

Timberland Regional Library (TRL) is a public library system serving the residents of western Washington state, United States including Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston counties. Timberland Regional Library has 27 community libraries, 2 cooperative library centers, and 3 library kiosks. It was founded in 1968, following a four-year demonstration project, and is funded through property taxes and timber taxes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 544</span> Highway in Washington

State Route 544 is a state highway in northern Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It runs east–west for 9 miles (14 km) near the Canadian border, connecting SR 539 near Lynden to Everson and a junction with SR 9 in Nooksack.

The history of Bellingham, Washington, as it is now known, begins with the settling of Whatcom County in the mid-to-late 19th century.

The Poudre River Public Library District was established in 2006 by citizen vote, with the established Fort Collins Public Library as its foundation. It serves more than 177,000 people across northern Larimer County, Colorado including Fort Collins and Timnath.

The Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System (THPL) is a public library system based in Hillsborough County, Florida. THPL is part of two larger library networks, the Tampa Bay Library Consortium, and the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative which includes Temple Terrace Public Library in Temple Terrace, Florida, and Bruton Memorial Library in Plant City, Florida. There are 33 branches of the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. Services provided by the THPL include internet access, public meeting room spaces, interlibrary loans, a Bookmobile, a Cybermobile for Spanish speakers, technology classes, adult literacy programs, and downloadable eBooks. Drive-thru windows for returns and hold pick-ups are located at the Jimmie B. Keel and the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Libraries. In 2017, THPL introduced the new HAAL Pass, which gives access to certain library resources to all students in the Hillsborough County Public Schools System. Students use their student ID number to use different online databases, borrow up to three physical items and read eBooks. The Tampa–Hillsborough County Public Library System is also a part of Hillsborough County government. On January 1, 2018, the library cooperative became one of the largest in the country to go fine free. Overdue fees for borrowed materials were eliminated with the implementation of the "Just Bring It Back" initiative. In 2019 the cooperative received the FLA Library of the Year Award. Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library was recognized for its community focused initiatives as it "reorganized its staffing model and eliminated overdue fines, yielding $1 million in savings while increasing access to library resources and expanding opportunities for community engagement through unique, scalable programs."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interurban Trail (Whatcom County)</span>

The Interurban Trail is a rail trail in Whatcom County, Washington. Built for bicycle and hiking recreation, the trail runs 6.6 miles (10.6 km) between Fairhaven and Larrabee State Park in the Bellingham area.

References

  1. 1 2 "2016 Washington Public Library Statistical Report" (PDF). Washington State Library. October 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sandsberry, Marian (July 1989). "History of the Bellingham Public Library". Bellingham Public Library. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Hart Soutcott, Bonnie (November 10, 2007). "Milestones: Pay to borrow a book? Early residents did". Bellingham Herald . Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ Kahn, Dean (January 1, 2017). "Bellingham library director retires with vision of new central library unfulfilled". Bellingham Herald. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Regular Meeting of the Board of Library Trustees" (PDF). Bellingham Public Library. April 15, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  6. ↑ Mittendorf, Robert (April 27, 2023). "New Bellingham library branch ends 'cultural desert' in these neighborhoods". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Library Board Announces Hours, Service Reductions" (Press release). Bellingham Public Library. August 26, 2009. Archived from the original on October 12, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Whatcom READS".
  9. ↑ "Adult Basic Education Collection" (PDF). Bellingham Public Library. June 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Book Club Resources". Bellingham Public Library. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Whatcom Libraries Collaborate"
  12. ↑ "Whatcom Reads" Archived August 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.