You can send posters and flyers to distribute at the library if your organization is a nonprofit (501.c3). You must drop off or mail materials to our Shipping Center in Preston. Please read the Nonprofit Distribution Guidelines on our policies page for more information.
Services FAQs
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General Questions
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Genealogy
Use our email reference form to request a copy of an obituary from one of the communities served by the King County Library System (KCLS).
Guidelines
Due to the volume of requests for obituaries that we receive, we ask that you observe these guidelines:
- Provide complete information on the individual including full name, place of death, and date of death*. E.g., “Please send the obituary for John Doe, Seattle WA, date of death 5/15/2000.”
- If you have information on a publication that contains the obituary, please include that as well. E.g., “Please send the obituary for John Doe appearing in the Seattle Times, May 18, 2000, p.5.”
- General research is beyond the scope of our service. E.g., “Please send the obituary for Jane Doe, who died in Seattle WA in 2000” does not provide enough information for us to locate the obituary.
- Submit one request per form and limit requests to one at a time. Do not send additional requests until you have received a response to your previous inquiry.
- We provide this service for non-commercial purposes and reserve the right to discontinue or disregard requests from professional genealogists, paid researchers, or companies.
- Staff will search the relevant publications in our collections for the King County community that is specified in the request. We are not able to search collections of other library systems.
* We will search for the date of death plus ten days.
Response Time
Most requests are completed within 14 working days of the receipt of the request.
Referrals
If your request requires more research than we can provide, you will be referred to other resources, such as another library system or a paid researcher.
Note: There is no legal requirement that an obituary be published. If one is published, it typically appears within 10 days of the date of death.
Staff at any of our libraries can help you learn to use our online resources such as Ancestry Library Edition. In addition, the Auburn Library and Bellevue Library offer regularly-scheduled genealogy help.
Family History for Beginners, opens a new window
Easy-to-digest articles on getting started in genealogy, including a glossary of terms, how to avoid rookie mistakes, and much more.
These libraries and archives are open to the public but some materials may be available only by appointment. Contact each organization to learn about their holdings and procedures before you visit.
A collection of materials focusing on townships east of the Mississippi River and ongoing education in genealogical research techniques, located in Seattle
Local microfilm access to the Family History Library collection in Salt Lake City, Utah
National Archives and Record Service (NARA)
Over 30,000 cubic feet of holdings, including materials dated from the 1850s to the 1980s, plus classes and discussions with archivists
Puget Sound Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives
Territorial census, birth, marriage, death, school district, voter, property, and other local government records from King, Kitsap, and Pierce counties
The Seattle Public Library (SPL)
SPL’s Genealogy Collection includes more than 40,000 items dealing primarily with records and families of North America
Vital records, city directories, old newspapers, and county histories and online access to genealogy bibliographies and handouts
Association of Professional Genealogists - Puget Sound Chapter
Research help from professional genealogists and information about genealogy classes and special interest programs
Maintains a collection of materials and provides research assistance at the Bellevue Library
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State
Monthly meetings, workshops, and library access (by appointment) to help members find their Jewish roots
Workshops, research services, special interest groups, monthly meetings, and a library of over 12,000 items
South King County Genealogical Society
Supports genealogy research in south King County through meetings, workshops, research assistance, and the Auburn Library’s genealogy collection
Washington State Genealogical Society
Shares information about genealogical resources and hosts workshops, seminars, and an annual conference
Our Auburn and Bellevue Libraries have genealogy collections.
Auburn Library
Collection
The Auburn Library is home to a collection donated by the South King County Genealogical Society (SKCGS).
View complete indexes of the collection on SKGCS’ website.
Assistance
Get genealogical research help from SKCGS volunteers on first and second Wednesdays and Saturdays of every month, from 1pm - 3pm.
Volunteers have expertise in:
- Research methods
- Print resources
- Databases such as Ancestry
Contact Auburn Library staff for current volunteer availability.
Bellevue Library
Collection
The Bellevue Library houses a collection donated by the Eastside Genealogical Society.
The collection includes:
- A wide variety of indexes
- Regional genealogies and histories
- Some marriage and cemetery records
- Lists of passengers and immigrants
- About 30 periodical titles
Assistance
Get research help from Eastside Genealogical Society volunteers on first and fifth Tuesday evenings of every month, and on Wednesday afternoons.
Contact Bellevue Library staff for current volunteer availability.
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Museum Passes
You can reserve a pass up to 2 weeks into the future. New passes are released daily at 2pm. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
You can reserve a museum pass once per calendar month. A reserved, but unused, pass will count against your monthly booking limit.
Your monthly limit counts for the date of your museum visit. It does not count for the day you make the reservation. If you book a pass on February 26 for a museum visit on March 3, you have claimed your monthly ticket for March.
You can reserve a museum pass online or by contacting your local community library.
- Visit our Museum and Park Passes page.
- Select Find a museum and book a pass.
- Choose your museum and read their terms of use.
- Click the “Book Now” button and choose a date from the calendar.
- Read the Reservation Details and click the “Agree” button.
You will receive a confirmation email that includes your pass.
Your booking confirmation email will provide a link to cancel your reservation. Click the link "To cancel this reservation" and follow the prompts. Call your local library or contact Ask KCLS for help canceling your reservation.
To reschedule your museum visit:
- Cancel your existing reservation.
- Make a new reservation for a different day.
Yes.
Student cards do not have an email address associated with them. You will need to provide an email address every time you reserve a museum pass.
Some museums require a photo ID that matches the name on your pass. A school ID or the ID of an attending parent/guardian is acceptable for most museums. Contact the museum directly with questions about admission requirements.
You may get an error if you typed your card or pin number incorrectly. Please try again.
You may also get an error if your card is marked “inactive” or is no longer in our system. This could happen if your card was previously replaced or if it expired and was deleted.
Please contact your local library for account questions.
Passes are only available 2 weeks into the future. New passes are released every day at 2 pm. Free Museum Passes are a very popular service at KCLS. Most passes are fully reserved within minutes of release Some are reserved within seconds.
The reservation software currently shows 3 categories: Available, Unavailable, and Closed.
- Available dates still have available passes that you can reserve.
- Unavailable dates within 2 weeks from today no longer have available passes. All passes have been reserved for these days.
- Unavailable dates that are more than 2 weeks into the future have not been released yet.
- Closed dates indicate days when the museum is not open or when the museum is not providing free passes.
We are aware that the availability categories in the calendar are confusing. We have notified our vendor of the confusion and have requested improvements. Thank you for your patience as we seek a solution.