Looking for that hot new title? At Seattle library, wait may be long

November 6, 2007 - 8:07am — Blake

The Seattle Public Library is having a popularity problem. Thanks to its "Libraries for All" building expansion program and an unprecedented increase in use of the library's online catalog, the number of holds — reservations — placed on books and other library materials has tripled, from about 1.01 million in 1998, when voters approved "Libraries for All," to 3.35 million in 2006. "It's very clear that we have extreme pent-up demand — we have a voracious appetite for our libraries,"
said Seattle City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck.