King County Library System

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The King County Library System (KCLS) is a library system serving the residents of King County, Washington.

The Burien Library is one of over 40 libraries in the King County Library System

The King County Library System is one of the largest circulating libraries in the United States with 43 libraries, a Traveling Library Center, a mobile TechLab, and the ABC Express children’s library van. KCLS circulated nearly 16 million items in 2003 and serves more than 1.1 million residents. KCLS offers a collection of more than 4.1 million items including books, periodicals, newspapers, audio and videotapes, films, CDs, DVDs and extensive online resources. All KCLS libraries offer free Wi-fi.

The library system began in 1942 when voters in King County established the King County Rural Library District in order to provide library services to people in “rural” areas with no easy access to city libraries. Funding for the library system was provided from the property tax base of unincorporated areas, and from contracts with cities and towns for the provision of library services. Funding measures for the system passed in 1966, 1977, 1980, 1988, 2002 and 2004. Property taxes account for 94% of revenue today. The KCLS revenue budget for 2005 is $77 million, or about $108 for each King County household.