Library

Welcome to the Decatur Library!

Decatur shirt surrounded by kid drawings

Think – Create – Share – Grow

The library works to encourage a love of reading by providing a wide range of diverse texts, putting books into kids’ hands, and recommending what will develop their interests and skills.

Our library provides a safe and welcoming environment; offers programming that encourages students to read widely; and equips learners to ask questions, seek information, evaluate their findings, and communicate their learning in a variety of ways (these last items equate to media literacy).

Using the Seattle Public Library

All students have access to Seattle Public Library’s online collection. Sora and Libby are linked on students’ Clever pages. SORA is an eBook access point for children, and this guide explains how to access it at home. This video explains how to access Seattle Public Library and its other electronic resources. Password for SPL is now last four digits of username.

SORA (all eBooks 😊)

Schoology – Visit grade level Library pages

Summer Reading

Keep reading all summer long! This will reinforce and grow your reading abilities. Here are several resources to help you keep reading:

Reading Lists

Seattle Public Librarian Erica Delavan’s Book Recommendations
American Library Association summer reading list
Hamilton Middle School Summer Reading Recommendations
Eckstein’ s list for our 5th graders who are graduating, scroll down on page/ Eckstein library page
School Library Journal recommends these inclusive chapter books
New York Public Library recommendations
Horn Book recommendations
We Are Kid Lit Summer Reading books 2026 (especially the Middle Grade books)
HarperCollins recommendations
Chapter Book recommendations from Indigenous Reads Rising
New Books from Penguin Random House

Reading Programs

UW Real Dawgs Read: Read 20 minutes a day for 30 days,; earn UW gear! https://www.washington.edu/realdawgsread/
Pizza Hut (Book It!): Register for “Summer of Stories” and log your reading on a mobile app to win a free personal pan pizza. https://www.bookitprogram.com/
Seahawks Summer Reading Challenge Register now, log your reading minutes to the end of July, and the top 10 readers win tickets, a jersey, and our school gets a visit from Blitz, the Seahawks mascot. https://www.seahawks.com/community/youth-empowerment/12-pages/
Get Caught Reading with Cal Have a parent submit a picture of you reading during the Mariner’s regular season, for a chance to win a Cal autographed baseball. https://go.pemco.com/caughtreading
Second Lady’s 2026 Summer Reading Challenge. Log 12 books by September 4 to win a 250^th Anniversary Bookmark and a chance to visit the White House with a chaperone. https://www.whitehouse.gov/read/
Seattle Public Library Summer Reading program is renamed Summer Quest, and readers can earn books and tickets to PlayDate. https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/fun-and-games/summer-quest
Third Place Books has a summer reading program for children!

Here are some booklists that may interest you.

Volunteers

The library needs volunteers. Checking in and shelving books, display and shelf maintenance, and GRC groups all depend on more than a part-time librarian can consistently provide. Whether you can come once in a while or volunteer on a more consistent basis, if you would like to help, we would love to have you!

Before volunteering in any school in the district a couple of forms, including a background check, need to be filled out and processed. You should reach out to our office.

Please email Jodie Purcell at jpurcell@seattleschools.org to let me know when you are available to help and we will figure something out. Many thanks!

-Jodie