February 20, 2025
In the rush of getting ready for your next big trip, packing something to read might have slipped your mind. If you are in need of a book, consider stopping by one of two Little Free Libraries (LFLs) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). They are regularly stocked with books from every genre that are free for everyone. Airport volunteer and SEA Little Free Library librarian Becky Nickels, alongside a team of other SEA volunteers, makes sure that these shelves stay filled so you and other SEA travelers will always have something to read.
When SEA Volunteer Manager Chelsea Rodriguez was looking for someone to support the ongoing needs of the airport LFLs, Nickels was happy to jump in. The role was a perfect fit for Nickels, who is passionate about reading and giving back in her daily life. Several years ago, she set up her own Little Free Library outside of her apartment in Renton as a way to donate her many previous book club reads. Because it was Halloween she also stocked the shelves with candy. Making sure her library is full each morning is still the last thing she does when she leaves for the day.
SEA’s librarian
Nickels has volunteered at SEA since 2022, supporting travelers at key information desks throughout the airport. She also serves as lead Little Free Library volunteer. The libraries
were installed at SEA in 2022, sparked from an idea from SEA’s Shark Tank employee innovation program. The libraries were very popular from the start and shelves were regularly empty as travelers eagerly took books. To ensure shelves were regularly replenished, Nickels took on the additional role of supporting the libraries as lead Little Free Library volunteer.
On Thursday and Friday mornings, as well as one other day of the week, Nickels carefully selects books from the supply stash to stock the LFLs and organizes them onto a cart to bring through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security line. Midweek other volunteers help keep the libraries full with additional books Nickels has placed at a nearby information desk.
Stop by SEA’s LFLs located:
- On the A Concourse in front of the Children’s Play Area (children’s books only)
- At the top of the SEA Underground escalator to the A Station (books for all ages)
She carefully keeps a tally of the number of books added to the libraries and how many remain in SEA’s stockpile, making sure there are always enough books to meet traveler demand. Thousands of books have been distributed through SEA’s LFLs. Books are donated by SEA volunteers and Port employees; the libraries also receive large regular donations from The Book Mongers in Tukwila and Hudson locations at SEA. Nickels and other SEA Volunteers have also developed relationships with various Friends of King County Libraries, who similarly donate overstock to SEA’s LFL program. Nickels and other volunteers might place 30 books on the shelves, and by the end of the day , the space is bare, cleaned out by travelers delighted to find something to read on their flight.
Find your next book
“People really appreciate (the LFLs). If I’m standing there adding books to the shelves, they say ‘This is so cool. It’s really neat that you do that,’" she said. "It’s a great traveler benefit that we have this and I get nothing but positive comments on it. If travelers haven’t brought something to read, they can get it here, and not have to buy a book.”
Some travelers will make a point to leave a book in the library for someone else to read, part of the LFL “take a book, leave a book” philosophy. “People will ask me if they should leave a book and I tell them if you fly often you are welcome to come in and put books in the libraries. But I know people don’t always think about bringing one more thing when they travel.”
Travelers select all kinds of books as their next read, but Nickels has noticed travel books, westerns, cookbooks, and graphic novels are particularly popular. She also stocks the libraries with SEA coloring books and crayons that are a hit with kids and families. When she picks up a book of her own to read, Nickels likes to read detective novels or mysteries. She has a stack of about 30 books on her to-read list at any given time. She reads whenever she has the chance, including when she takes the Link Light Rail to her ushering job with Seattle Theater Group.
Giving back
When Nickels isn’t tending to the LFLs, she helps travelers at information desks with directions, questions, and solving problems.
“People always ask me what I do at the airport, and I tell them I help people find their way,” she said. “For some people, flying is stressful. If you haven’t been here, or you haven’t flown for a long time, you’re elderly, or don’t speak English, it can be really tough. People will say ‘I’m lost’ with that frantic look in their eye and they don’t know where to go. It’s so rewarding when people tell me ‘thank you. I’m so glad you’re here.’ The volunteers all talk about how cool it is.”
In recognition of Nickel’s contributions, she was honored as SEA’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year. She was nominated by Pathfinder Customer Service employees in recognition of her contributions to the LFL program and community volunteerism generally.
When she’s not volunteering at SEA, Nickels works three part time jobs and does volunteer work. She ushers at Seattle Repertory Theater and Lumen Field and serves on several local nonprofit boards. She also volunteers as an usher for the Seattle Theater Group at the Neptune, Paramount, and Moore Theaters.
With the remaining time she has, she takes care of her brother-in-law and helps her daughter take care of her great grandsons, ages three and one.
- Do you have a book you’d love to pass along to other travelers? The next time you fly through SEA, leave it in one the airport’s LFLs and find something new to read on your trip.
