Celebrating 60 Years of Sno-Isle Libraries

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.

November 2022 marks the 60th Anniversary of Sno-Isle Libraries! Sno-Isle Libraries was formed in 1962 as an inter-county library district that allowed the 15 existing community libraries in the area to better serve the region. Within a year of the formation, Sno-Isle Libraries opened five additional community libraries, and would go on to operate 23 libraries over the ensuing decades.

Learn a bit more about the libraries' past and explore fun ways to celebrate 60 years of Sno-Isle Libraries' community presence.

  • March 1947, the Bookmobile was introduced, driving 13,000 miles in its first year! The Library on Wheels program demonstrated the need for greater library presence and influenced the creation of the Sno-Isle Libraries district 15 years later. To this day, the Bookmobile provides library service to communities and customers who may face barriers to library access. Visit the bookmobile at a stop near you.
  • March 2005, Sno-Isle Libraries first offers OverDrive, starting with audiobooks. Since then, nearly 19 million digital items have been borrowed. One of the first audiobooks we offered was 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. Have you read this essential science-fiction novel? Place a hold today!
  • April 2010, eBooks become available at Sno-Isle Libraries. Have you used Libby to read books on your device? Read our Get Started with Libby post to learn how.
  • July 2020, Books by Mail Service is expanded by the Library on Wheels team to help ease barriers to access during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the Books by Mail program continues to serve customers who have difficulties accessing the library. Do you know someone who could benefit from books by mail services? Learn more about the Books by Mail program.
  • January 2022, Discover Passes are offered to customers at community libraries to be checked out just like a book! Check out a Discover Pass fee-free with your library card to visit Washington state parks.

When Sno-Isle Libraries was formed 60 years ago, the role of a library in the 21st century was unimaginable. So much has changed since the 1960s—our founders could not have predicted that Sno-Isle’s future members would be checking out digital items and parks passes. We look forward to what the next 60 years will bring!

Questions or comments? Contact us!

Timeline: Celebrating 60 Years. November 1962 - Island County voters approve the formation of an inter-county rural library district. January 1963 – Becomes Sno-Isle Regional Library July 1995 – Population served hits 500,000 with 300 employees and 18 community libraries February 2000 – Establishment of Sno-Isle Library Foundation 2002 – Receive a grant from Everett Community Foundation for the Tech Teens program March 2005 – Offers digital Audiobooks with OverDrive April 2010 – eBooks available at Sno-Isle for the first time 2014 – Customers can download and stream digital movies, TV shows and comics with Hoopla December 2016 – Surpass 1 Million online checkouts in a single year 2019 – Added The Great Courses, PBS, and more with Kanopy February 2020 – Surpasses 10 Million all-time online checkouts July 2020 – Library on Wheels launched Books by Mail Service January 2022 – Customers can checkout Discover Passes November 2022 - Celebrating 60 years of connecting people and ideas.