TUMWATER, Wash. — Seven Timberland Regional Library branches in Grays Harbor, Lewis, and Pacific counties would be closed under a new proposal.
“We are facing some pretty stark financial realities,” said Timberland’s Public Services Manager Allison Grubbs.
Timberline's leadership team made the proposal for the board of trustees to review and discuss. If approved, it would close branches in Amanda Park, Hoquiam, Montesano, Oakville, Packwood, Salkum, and South Bend.
Grubbs said fewer users are checking out books and visiting branches, while more patrons are using the online library. At the same time online usage is on the rise, she said.
Grubbs said the hope would be that the closures would happen without any layoffs.
“The staff would be here (at the Hoquiam branch), the collections would be here. What a library looks like could be different, but we are not abandoning these communities,” said Grubbs.
She said Timberland would expand its outreach to schools and senior centers and would explore replacing branches with drive-through kiosks where patrons could pick up books they’ve checked out online.
The board hopes to hear from community members who would be impacted by any closures at its October 24 meeting.
Mickey Thurman expects a number of Hoquiam residents to voice their concerns.
“I think they’ll get a lot of community support, there might be an uprising of some kind,” said Thurman who said walking into the library built in 1911 is like a trip back in time and an important part of the community.
Hoquiam City Administrator Brian Shay said closing the Hoquiam branch might cause Timberland more financial problems.
“Citizens voted to annex into the library district,” said Shay, “I would think if they were to close this library down, our citizens would probably go to a vote to de-annex from the district.”
