Editing Seattle Central Library (section)

===Layout===

The first level, facing 4th Avenue, has a lobby, holds pick-up, and a children's center. It also includes the Microsoft Auditorium, which seats 275 people for events. An escalator connects the 4th Avenue lobby to the third level, which faces 5th Avenue and is named the Norcliffe Foundation Living Room. It includes a small cafe, a gift shop, and a teen center.<ref name="ExpandsHours">{{cite news |date=January 17, 2023 |title=The Central Library Expands Hours, and 20-Plus Things to Do There |url=https://shelftalkblog.wordpress.com/2023/01/17/the-central-library-expands-hours-and-20-plus-things-to-do-there/ |work=Shelf Talk Blog |publisher=Seattle Public Library |accessdate=January 23, 2023}}</ref> The fourth level, named the "Red Floor", uses 13 shades of red paint on surfaces and includes four meeting rooms and two computer labs.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 18, 2022 |title=The Central Library's Iconic Red Floor Reopens To The Public |url=https://shelftalkblog.wordpress.com/2022/07/18/the-central-librarys-iconic-red-floor-reopens-to-the-public/ |work=Shelf Talk Blog |publisher=Seattle Public Library |accessdate=January 23, 2023}}</ref> The main computer lab is located on the fifth level, named the [[Charles Simonyi]] Mixing Chamber, with 338 computer stations and a [[library reference desk|reference desk]].<ref name="Tours">{{cite web |title=Take a tour of the Central Library |url=https://www.spl.org/hours-and-locations/central-library/central-library-highlights/central-library-tours |publisher=Seattle Public Library |accessdate=January 23, 2023}}</ref>

A major section of the building is the "Books Spiral", which is designed to display the library's nonfiction collection without breaking up the [[Dewey Decimal Classification|Dewey Decimal System]] classification onto different floors or sections. The collection occupies the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth stories on a continuous series of shelves with a maximum slope of 2&nbsp;degrees.<ref name="Tours"/> The eighth level also includes music practice rooms, while the ninth level has a genealogy collection and map room. The tenth level is divided between the Seattle Room, which contains local history collections, and the Betty Jane Narver Reading Room with 400 seats. It also includes the highest viewpoints in the building.<ref name="Tours"/>

New functions include automatic book sorting and conveyance, self-checkout for patrons, pervasive wireless communications among the library staff, and over 400 public computer terminals.

Below the library is a 143-stall parking garage that is open for use by library patrons and other members of the public for a fee.<ref>{{cite web |title=Paid parking at the Central Library |url=https://www.spl.org/hours-and-locations/central-library/central-library-highlights/central-library-parking |publisher=Seattle Public Library |accessdate=March 19, 2023}}</ref>