Sea-Tac Airport library doing booming business

Realizing you’ve forgotten to pack your book or download it to your tablet after you’re at the airport usually means a trip to the news stand to pay for a new one, but that’s not the case at Sea-Tac Airport. It has two libraries set up in the concourses, and passengers couldn’t be happier.

This is the second summer the King County Library has provided books and magazines inside security for passengers to grab and take on their trips.

The materials are donated and don’t need to be checked out.

“Many people are walking away with the books, which is fine because they’re all donated,” the library system’s Julie Brand said. “What’s been really cool about it is that we’ve gotten letters and emails from people from all different parts of the country saying, ‘Hey I picked up one of your books, how do I get it back to you?'”

There are 15,000 books a month taken by passengers at the airport, and they’re not just for the plane ride. The library has provided rocking chairs so you can simply sit down and pass the time.

“You know how it is when you go to the airport,” Brand said. “You can’t always find a seat, and they certainly aren’t that comfortable so we wanted to create a space where they could sit and read the books.”

If you don’t know what book to choose, the library provides librarians a few days a week to help with book selections and to drop off more materials.

The program runs through September. You can find the library shelves and rocking chairs in concourses A and B.