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Sucursal Columbia de la Biblioteca Pública de Seattle

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La Sucursal Columbia de la Biblioteca Pública de Seattle está ubicada en 4721 Rainier Avenue S, adyacente a Columbia Park, en el extremo norte del distrito comercial de Columbia City en el sudeste de Seattle. El histórico edificio que data de 1915 es la más pequeña de las bibliotecas construidas para Seattle con donaciones del filántropo Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). La sucursal en sí misma data de 1909, dos años después de que Columbia City fuera anexada a Seattle, cuando se abrió una pequeña sucursal en los alrededores de Spartan, en el antiguo palacio municipal de Columbia City. Desde los comienzos de la sucursal en 1909, se han producido enormes cambios en un vecindario que siempre ha atraído grupos de inmigrantes, ya sea italianos o asiáticos o pobladores de las islas del Pacífico. Bajo el programa de mejoramiento “Bibliotecas para Todos”, una emisión de bonos por valor de $196.4 millones de dólares aprobada por los electores de Seattle en 1998, el edificio fue ampliado al doble de su tamaño anterior. Estuvo cerrado durante un año por renovaciones, reabriéndose en agosto de 2004. La biblioteca ampliada y renovada preserva el carácter distintivo del edificio como un hito histórico.

Sources:
"Columbia Branch Library Opened," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 7, 1909, Sec. 2, p. 1; "Columbia Library Reopens," newsclipping, May 31, 1986, in "Columbia Library -- Miscellaneous Papers," folder, Seattle Public Library Archives; "Columbia Community Study," report, Seattle Community Services Division, 1981, Ibid.; "Columbia Branch History," typescript, September 15, 1932, in folder "Columbia Library History," Ibid.; "Columbia Library -- Quarterly Reports, April 1915-July 1934," folder, Ibid.; "Columbia Library -- Annual Reports, 1934-1974," folder, Ibid.; "Columbia Branch," Seattle Public Library Website (www.spl.org); Polk's City Directory - Seattle, 1910-1914; "Librarian Wants Aid In Good Work," Rainier Valley Citizen, October 27, 1917, newsclipping, Columbia Branch Library Archives; "Seattle Public Library Directory of Staff, 1967-1970," bound toether, Northwest History Collection, The Seattle Public Library.
Note: This essay was updated on May 29, 2005, on September 10, 2008, and again on February 15, 2009, and was revised slightly on October 26, 2011.

By David Wilma, December 17, 2002

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