Primary Source Executive Director Kate Laughlin Receives Humanities Washington Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Public Humanities
Seattle, WA — December 17, 2025 — Humanities Washington has honored Kate Laughlin with a statewide Humanities Washington Award, recognizing her outstanding contributions to the public humanities. As part of its 50th anniversary, the organization is celebrating 50 regional and statewide individuals and organizations who bring new stories to light, connect their communities, and encourage reflection, learning, and dialogue.
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Where library professionals support their communities through vital services and programs, Kate Laughlin has dedicated the last 20 years of her library career to supporting the professionals themselves. After years of gaining extensive experience in human resources, management, strategic planning, and intellectual freedom, Kate left her role as Staff Training Coordinator for the Seattle Public Library in 2007 to begin independently offering those same educational opportunities to smaller, more rural libraries across the state that didn’t have specialized staff of their own. Through it all, her work has prioritized uplifting and celebrating the work of library staff whose expertise often goes unrecognized, at libraries both large and small.
In 2014, Kate founded Primary Source, an agency that connects library clients with a curated network of experts to complete strategic projects, solve complex challenges, and accelerate organizational goals. Over the past decade, she has partnered with more than 35 organizations to guide strategic planning initiatives and elevate staff capacity through targeted development programs. In addition to direct support for individual libraries, Kate and the Primary Source team have provided operational support for the statewide Washington Library Association (WLA) and the national Association for Rural and Small Libraries.Through this work, Kate has directly engaged |
thousands of library professionals, empowering them to step into leadership roles, pursue meaningful professional development, and build lasting collaborative networks.
Kate has also emphasized the importance of collaboration and belonging in the face of rising challenges for Washington’s libraries, including book censorship and funding cuts. She models the power of shared knowledge and advocacy across library types, both rural and urban—academic, public, school, special, and tribal—strengthening the profession and supporting its essential role within the humanities.
Reflecting on Kate’s contributions, Emily Keller, past WLA Board President and Associate Dean for Research & Learning Services at the University of Washington Libraries, wrote:
Kate has also emphasized the importance of collaboration and belonging in the face of rising challenges for Washington’s libraries, including book censorship and funding cuts. She models the power of shared knowledge and advocacy across library types, both rural and urban—academic, public, school, special, and tribal—strengthening the profession and supporting its essential role within the humanities.
Reflecting on Kate’s contributions, Emily Keller, past WLA Board President and Associate Dean for Research & Learning Services at the University of Washington Libraries, wrote:
“It is my honor to recommend Kate Laughlin for a Humanities Washington Award, especially as the organization marks its 50th anniversary. I have had the pleasure of working with Kate through the Washington Library Association since 2010. Through our many collaborations, I have witnessed firsthand her deep commitment to equity, community, and access to services and resources through libraries. I can say without reservation, Kate exemplifies the values at the heart of Humanities Washington.”
Through her tireless work, Kate Laughlin has made a meaningful, lasting impact for library workers across Washington and beyond, advancing the public humanities by championing the role of libraries as equitable spaces for learning, dialogue, and community connection.