Representatives from the King County Library System and the Lake Forest Park Library Advisory Committee presented usage data, programs and historical background to the Lake Forest Park City Council on July 10, 2025.

Alice Darnton, regional manager for the King County Library System (KCLS), said KCLS operates 50 branches and that Lake Forest Park’s branch is in the Alder region; she noted that, "since the pandemic, use of the Lake Forest Park Library continues to go up," and presented year‑over‑year increases in foot traffic, active accounts and checkouts. Darnton said the system’s "Curiosity Isn't Quiet" campaign is intended to reinforce the library as an interactive civic space.

Katie Boyce, Lake Forest Park’s librarian and information‑services manager, summarized in‑person and digital resources available with a library card (examples: Consumer Reports Online, The New York Times access, language-learning tools and streaming services through Hoopla). She described regular programs: weekly story time, teen leadership council activities and adult programs such as the "Wisdom Café" for older adults. Boyce invited residents to the summer-reading program and noted a new Book Bingo partnership with Seattle Public Library.

Lollie Smith and Eloise Boyle, members of the Lake Forest Park Library Advisory Committee, reviewed the library’s local history: the first library opened in June 1965, moved locations as the community grew, and in 2012 King County voters approved a bond that funded an expanded facility that opened in January 2012. The advisory committee curates summer-read programming, conducts community outreach at the Lake Forest Park Market and acts as a liaison among KCLS, the city and residents.

The presenters emphasized intellectual freedom as a core library value. Darnton said KCLS defines intellectual freedom as "the right of everyone to seek out information, ideas, and expressive content of any kind within the law," and announced plans to mark October as a month to celebrate the freedom to read; the presenters asked for time on upcoming council agendas in August or September for more discussion.

Councilmembers thanked the presenters and asked about facility needs and interactive children’s spaces; Darnton said KCLS’s new library director is prioritizing more interactive children’s areas and that parents and families would welcome such changes.

No action was required by the council at this presentation. The update is informational and intended to help the council and residents understand library use, programs, regional support and upcoming outreach on intellectual freedom.