Learn more about how to get a Seattle Public Library card if you don't live in Seattle and what you can do if you have a card with another nearby library system.
If you live near Seattle, you may still be eligible for a free Seattle Public Library card through one of our reciprocal agreements with nearby library systems.
If you live, work, go to school or own property in King County (even outside the city of Seattle) you qualify for a free Seattle Public Library card through our reciprocal agreement with the King County Library System. (The only exceptions are the towns of Hunts Point and Yarrow Point, which are not part of the King County Library System.)
You also qualify for a free card if you live within the city limits of Bothell (which is in both King and Snohomish counties).
Seattle residents are also eligible for a free KCLS card.
If you qualify for a free Seattle Public Library card because you work, go to school or own property in our free service area, please complete a Library card application. We will ask you to provide of employment, student enrollment or taxpayer status. Visit our Valid Identification page for more information.
You can also get a free Seattle Public Library card if you have a current Library card from:
Please complete a Library Card Application to sign up for your free Seattle Public Library card. We will ask you to provide your reciprocal library card and valid ID.
If you get your Library card through a reciprocal agreement, you have the same in-person and remote checkout privileges that apply to SPL borrowers, which include:
Reciprocal cardholders must pick up their holds at a Seattle Public Library location. Interlibrary loan requests are excluded from the reciprocal agreements with all library systems.
For more information about how to get a Seattle Public Library card, please visit Get Started With a Library Card.
If you return King County Library System items to a Seattle Public Library location, we’ll deliver them on your behalf, and vice versa. Even though we deliver items once a week, it may take several weeks for your items to show as checked in on your account. However, when they are checked in by KCLS or SPL, the return date will be adjusted to reflect the date you originally returned them.
If you do not qualify for a free card, there are two types of paid Library cards:
If you have a King County Library System (KCLS) card, you can link your KCLS account to your Seattle Public Library (SPL) account in our catalog. This allows you to use a single username and password to create and access lists and shelves in the catalog.
Step 1: Set up a catalog account with your home Library.
Step 2: Connect to the other Library.
If you already have both SPL and KCLS catalog accounts:
Your holds and checkouts are not affected when you remove a catalog login or link accounts.