About Us

The Bellingham Public Library is located in the Civic Center area of downtown Bellingham. We have 45,000 registered cardholders and we circulate more than one million items annually. The Fairhaven branch is a Carnegie library which celebrated its 100th birthday in December 2004. Through a reciprocal use agreement, City residents also have access to the collections of the Whatcom County Library System.
Library Materials. Library Services. Library Policies. Library History.

2006 Annual Report

Library Materials

BPL has a wide variety of materials available for check-out:

• Audio tapes and compact discs
  
• Books for all ages and reading levels
  
• Books in large type
  
• Books on tape and CD
  
• CD-ROM's (Children's Department only)
  
• Magazines
  
• Pamphlets
  
• Paperbacks
• Playaways (digital audio books)
  
• Videos and DVDs

Reference resources include:

• Access to online databases.
  
• Almanacs, directories, encyclopedias, and indexes
  
• City phone books, city directories, and high school yearbooks
  
• Current subscriptions to more than 50 newspapers.
  
• Documents and local history materials
  
• Genealogy collection donated by the Whatcom Genealogical Society
  
• Magazines and newspapers on microfilm and microfiche
  
• RCW (Revised Code of Washington)
• WAC (Washington Administrative Code)

Library Services

Besides reference resources and all the books and materials available for checkout, BPL provides the community with a wide variety of other services.

There are librarians at the Information/Reference Desk all the hours that the library is open. Besides asking a librarian for information and reference assistance at the library, telephone reference is available by calling 676-6860 and asking for the Reference Desk.

The Bellingham Public Library has indexed local subjects and the obituaries in the Bellingham Herald since January 1, 1988. Online access to the index has been available since July 1, 1992. Online access to Bellingingham Business Journal indexing has been available since January 1999. Due to several factors, including budget and staffing changes, all indexing ceased as of December 31, 2005. The existing index will remain available through the library catalog.

The library maintains an online directory of local organizations: the Whatcom Information Network.

Additional services:

• Booklists with suggestions for both fiction and non-fiction topics
  
• E-mail notification of holds and first overdue reminders (make request at the Circulation Desk)
  
• Inter-library loan for materials not available in this library (make request at the Reference Desk)
  
• Internet access (1 hour per day limit)
  
• Magnification device for the visually impaired
  
• Meeting rooms at the Main library and also at the Fairhaven branch
  
• Microfiche and microfilm reader/printers
  
• Outreach services to the homebound, nursing homes and adult care facilities
  
• Photocopy machines (copies cost 10 cents per page)
  
• Public typewriter (no pc/word processing at this time)
  
• Remote access to the catalog and online databases
  
• Story hours and children's programs
  
• Summer Reading Program for children
  
• Tax forms
  
• TDD phone service for the hearing impaired
  
• Teen group and summer program
  
• Voter registration forms

Library Policies

History of Bellingham Public Library