Library Collections
The library is open to the public without charge.
Over 300 reference books on taxonomy, plant families, Washington
native plants, garden techniques, street trees, pests & diseases, and
Master Gardener publications make ours the most extensive gardening
reference collection of any Pacific Northwest public library.
Reference materials cannot be checked out, but a copy machine is
available for 10 cents per page.
300 subscriptions cover a range from magazines for home gardeners to
journals for researchers. Over 100 newsletters from regional garden
clubs and arboreta round out the collection. Many of the subscriptions
are received by no other public libraries in Washington State.
Nearly 1000 wholesale and retail nursery catalogs are filed by name
and indexed by subject. About one-third of the catalogs are from
companies in the Pacific Northwest.
The library has about 30 linear feet of clipping files, including
pamphlets, extension publications, newspaper clippings, and brochures of
gardens to visit. Material not easily available in book format can be
found here.
Herbals from the 1500's and 1600's, florilegiums from the 1700's and
1800's, older journals, and rare research materials are stored in a
special rare book department. Viewing of selected material is available
by appointment
A small, trial collection of about 300 titles and about 25 videos is
available for borrowing, made possible by a grant from the Northwest
Horticultural Society. Registration for borrowing is required (driver's
license plus additional proof of address are required).
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