If you’re an OG reader, you know how much I love local libraries. One thing I was really looking forward to when we moved from Ohio to Washington was access to a much larger, more diverse library. Not that CML was a bad library system, but I thought they were trying too hard to modernize by removing DVDs and CDs from branch shelves and housing them only at the mail library downtown, and focusing more on computer use than books.

But I have some similar gripes about the KCLS branches I’ve visited.

The King County Library System has 50 branches, and I’ve only been to a small percentage of them. But, they are mostly very high ceilinged buildings with lots of glass, steel, and brick/stone: modern architecture meant to be airy and light, but yet somehow unwelcoming.

You see, most of these buildings are equal to 2-3 stories tall, but only have one floor. Those high ceilings and big windows mean they waste a lot of money on heating and cooling that could be going to library programs, acquisitions, or librarian pay. I’ve never been in one in the summer that wasn’t uncomfortably hot. It also means a lot of space is wasted, which is compounded by the small number of books each branch keeps in stock.

My favorite branch of CML was the Hilliard library, before it was torn down in 2019 to make way for a new building. It had a similar architectural aesthetic, but tons and tons of books. Adult fiction was divided into romance, mystery, scifi/fantasy, and general fiction. There were CDs, DVDs, video games, and board games. A huge chunk of the library was given over nonfiction, and any place large enough to house a work table or comfy chair had one. There were meeting rooms and quiet study rooms, and plenty of outlets throughout the building.

KCLS libraries, however, generally have 2-3 rows of YA fiction, 3-4 rows of adult, a decent selection of nonfiction (though some subjects are clearly neglected) and about half the library is given over to children’s books. There may or may not be enough computers, and the emphasis is more on wide aisles and open floor space than stocking books. There are generally very few work spaces, fewer outlets, and none of the seating is comfortable, particularly if you want a table to go with it. These are not libraries meant for hours of study or work, for casual browsing or discovering new authors.

The thing that angers me is that I know why these decisions were made.

Both King and Pierce counties are in a housing crisis right now. Due the the skyrocketing cost of rent and property taxes, combined with interest rates, and exorbitant cost of living and layoffs, there are a lot of unhoused people in the area. These libraries are designed to keep them out, or at least, not to invite them to stay. They don’t want unhoused people lingering on the couches, walking off with books, or taking up too much time looking for work or apartments on the computers. Because while they are adamant that library services should be free and accessible, that doesn’t mean they want the poorest in our community to use them.

It can be seen all over the area in the hostile architecture designed to keep unhoused people out of residential or affluent areas, from concrete benches with “armrests” between the seats (so no one can lay down and sleep) to the addition of grates and fences to spikes and uncomfortably slanted retaining walls.

It hurts me to see this kind of exclusion, especially in spaces that are supposed to be for everyone, especially when they could do so much good. But optics and wealthy tax payers (which is often an oxymoron) have to be abided by, and so libraries use straight backed wooded chairs with no regard for ergonomics, limit seating, and arrange the library in such a way as to make the supervision of patrons easier for the librarians and security personal.

Now, don’t get me wrong. KCLS libraries have done some great things in their communities and they offer a lot of classes and opportunities that we didn’t have back in Ohio. They have a much larger catalogue, with a wider variety of audiobooks and digital magazines. But overall they seem to operate best if you know what you are looking for, go in specifically for that, and don’t spend time loitering in the stacks. They are designed for reserves, not for browsing.

The librarians have been great, and they do have a huge focus on kids. But because they are not open to the entire community equally, and because I physically can’t spend time there working, browsing, reading, or researching, I can’t rate them any higher than 3 out of 5.