Seattle City Wire

Council member Debora Juarez and her colleagues on the Seattle City Council recently honored Seattle Public Library’s (SPL) Chief Librarian and Executive Director Marcellus Turner for 10 years of faithful service by proclaiming March 31, 2021, Marcellus Turner Day.

Turner is leaving his position and the city of Seattle to begin a position as executive director and chief librarian for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

“Marcellus Turner will be greatly missed by the Seattle community," Juarez said, according to Seattle.gov. "He exemplified the tenets of public service by expanding SPL’s reach and delivering new programs and policies that make Seattle Public Libraries more equitable. His legacy of kindness and fierce advocacy will remain a cornerstone of our libraries for generations to come."

Bestselling American novelist David Baldacci joined the council members in recognizing Turner's achievements and honoring the chief librarian with an April 5 YouTube video.

"Seattle will miss you, my friend, but what you need to do is go to Charlotte and work your magic down there," Baldacci said in the video. "They will be better for it and so will you."

Turner's distinguished achievements during his time with SPL include two successful levies to increase the library’s capacity, promoting inclusion by eliminating overdue fines and allowing people without proof of residence access to library materials, adding wi-fi hot spots to circulation so more households could have internet access, and installing a social worker at the Central Library to serve Seattle’s homeless population.

"I did not expect this nine and a half years ago, and I didn't even expect it as recently as now, but it is indeed an honor to be acknowledged by the Council," Turner said at a City Council virtual meeting. "I am quite confident that I will read about Seattle Public doing great things, and hopefully our paths will cross again."

Turner has over 30 years of public library experience, working in libraries in Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Tacoma, Tennessee and Louisiana.

Under Turner's leadership, SPL was awarded the prestigious 2020 Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year.

They city of Seattle made an official proclamation in Turner's honor.