Seventeen of the Timberland Regional Library’s (TRL) 29 branches will soon operate on reduced hours, the five-county library district announced Monday.
Libraries will begin transitioning to their new hours beginning the second week of May, with all changes to be completed by May 19.
The announcement comes after TRL rescinded over 80% of the involuntary layoffs that were planned to take effect May 15. Instead of 61 staff losing their jobs, 17 voluntary layoffs will take effect April 30 and eight involuntary layoffs will go through May 15.
The move was part of a settlement TRL reached with library workers union AFSCME Local 3758, which contested TRL’s handling of the involuntary layoffs.
“Following the recent agreement with the union to limit the scope of proposed layoffs, Regional Managers were asked to review local staffing levels and usage patterns and to recommend changes to open staffed hours,” TRL said Monday in a news release announcing the revised hours.
The new hours will “ensure sustainable staffing and operations while the district continues to develop a plan to increase its revenue,” TRL said in the news release.
Of Timberland’s 29 libraries, 12 will continue to maintain their current staffed open hours while 13 will reduce open staffed hours by 1 to 8 hours per week. TRL did not specify Monday which libraries will maintain current hours and which will see reduced hours.
Four libraries — Hawks Prairie, Hoodsport, North Mason (Belfair) and Shelton — will implement reductions of between 10 and 16 hours per week, according to TRL.
The Naselle Timberland Library, which transitioned to a fully self-service model in the fall of 2024, will add regular staffed hours to allow for new library cards, Expanded Access Hours (EAH) signups, and occasional programming on the first and third Saturdays of each month from noon to 5 p.m., according to TRL. As part of this adjustment to open hours, Naselle will also be closed to EAH on Wednesdays from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to allow staff to complete materials processing and maintenance tasks.
TRL encourages patrons to call or visit their local branch, subscribe to library emails at TRL.org, or check TRL.org/locations for the most up-to-date information on open hours.
The revised hours are among many operational changes TRL is making in response to a $3.8 million budget deficit.
In addition to layoffs, other changes include a reduction to the collections budget, fewer library programs due to reduced use of paid performers and presenters, a reduction in free printing from $40 to $20 per month effective, reductions in supplies and non-essential purchases, limits on employee travel for conferences and training, and a hiring freeze.
TRL administrators said they made additional operational changes to accommodate fewer layoffs, including reductions in non-staff expenditures, ongoing monitoring of revenues and expenses, and adjustments to non-represented staff salaries.
TRL Board of Trustees members, administrators and community supporters generally agree that TRL will need to pass a levy lid lift in the near future to stabilize the budget.
The Board of Trustees last week created ad hoc committees to start work towards running a levy lid lift, and to organize an independent audit to better understand how TRL’s budget crisis happened.
The Board of Trustees is also working on hiring an interim executive director to take over for former Executive Director Cheryl Heywood, who resigned in March. The interim executive director will be responsible for handling the immediate budget crisis, organizing an audit and running the levy lid lift.
