Timberland Regional Library (TRL) is a public library

Public library

A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...

 system serving the residents of southwestern Washington state

Washington State

Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...

, USA including Grays Harbor

Grays Harbor County, Washington

Grays Harbor County is a county in the state of Washington, in the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 72,797. The county seat is at Montesano, and its largest city is Aberdeen. The county is named after a large estuarine bay near its southwestern corner...

, Lewis

Lewis County, Washington

Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia....

, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston counties. Timberland Regional Library has 27 community libraries, 5 cooperative library centers, and 3 library kiosk

Kiosk

Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...

s.

Beginnings

TRL was created in 1968 as an "Intercounty Rural Library District" by a vote of the residents of the unincorporated areas of Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor, and Pacific counties after a Demonstration Project (1964-1968) funded by federal, state and local grants.

The service area covers nearly 7000 square miles (18,129.9 km²) and serves a population of approximately 459,100 (2007 est.) residents through 27 community libraries (or branches) with a collection of nearly 1.7 million items. The District is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees appointed by county commissioners, with a trustee from each county and two additional trustees filling at-large positions.

Before TRL was created, Lewis County had no library service in the rural areas. In the rural areas of the other counties, service was provided by the South Puget Sound Regional Library, the Grays Harbor County Rural Library District and the Pacific County Rural Library District. During the 1964-68 Demonstration Project, grant funds enabled new library service through rented buildings in Tumwater and Lacey and bookmobiles in previously unserved rural areas.

Many cities within TRL provided their citizens with library service for years prior to the creation of the rural county library districts. Seven of these cities owned original Andrew Carnegie-funded buildings or other gifted facilities. Others provided service from space in city halls or other city buildings. After TRL was created, most of these cities began contracting with TRL for library service to take advantage of economies of scale and more services and resources. By 1975, seventeen cities with independent municipal libraries had contracted with TRL. The last city to bring its library into TRL was Shelton

Shelton, Washington

Shelton is the county seat, of Mason County, Washington, United States. Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound. The population was 9,834 at the 2010 census. In terms of population, the city is ranked 161 out of approximately 500 municipalities in Washington...

 in 1988.

All eighteen cities continue to contract with TRL for service or have annexed to the District. Through the branches in these cities, TRL serves most of the population of the District—both city residents and rural residents. A key part of TRL’s model of service is to combine the revenue from both the rural areas and the cities and use it to provide enhanced services and resources through the city branches. In more remote rural areas far from cities, TRL has replaced bookmobile

Bookmobile

A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...

s with buildings using grant funds and timber revenue. Better library service has been established in the far corners of the District. Also in rural areas, TRL has created partnerships with schools and tribes to create service points called cooperative library centers which provide library services to the general public a few hours a week.

Present Day

Besides the books, magazines, newspapers, tapes, videos, CDs, programs and other services available in community libraries and cooperative library centers, TRL also provides Outreach services to groups and individuals District-wide. In recent years, TRL added access to information services via toll-free telephone 7 days a week as well as access to the library’s computer catalog and many other computerized resources 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Ebooks

E-book

An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...

 and digital audiobooks, provided by the digital distributor OverDrive

OverDrive, Inc.

OverDrive is an American digital distributor of downloadable eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video titles. The company’s core business is the management of digital content for publisher, libraries, schools, and retailers. According to the company, OverDrive’s inventory included more than 500,000...

, can also be downloaded from the library's website. Most patrons use and enjoy the library as a physical place, but an increasing number of patrons use the library as a virtual library.

2009 Failed Ballot Measure

On February 3, 2009, approximately 53% of voters within TRL's 5-county district turned down "Levy Lid Lift Proposition 1" in a special election. This proposition would have lifted the 34.5-cent (per thousand dollars of assessed valuation) cap on TRL's property tax levy rate. As a result, the Library Board determined that approximately 2.5 million dollars would need to be cut from TRL's 2010 budget.

Branches

• Aberdeen
  Aberdeen, Washington
  Aberdeen is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States, founded by Samuel Benn in 1884. Aberdeen was incorporated on May 12, 1890. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis...
  
  
  • Wishkah Valley School, Aberdeen
• Amanda Park
  Amanda Park, Washington
  Amanda Park is an unincorporated community located in the Olympic Peninsula in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States, along U.S. Route 101. Olympic National Park and Lake Quinault are directly to the north....
  
  
• Belfair
  Belfair, Washington
  Belfair is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States. Located on the Union River, headwaters of the Hood Canal, a branch of Puget Sound, it serves as the commercial center of North Mason County. The population of the surrounding area swells in the summertime as...
  
  
• Boistfort
  Boistfort, Washington
  Boistfort is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, Washington, United States. It lies 19 miles away from Chehalis and has one of the tallest peaks that is not a mountain in the entire state of Washington, Boistfort Peak also known as Bawfaw Peak. It has a k-8 school, a library and a tennis...
  
  
• Centralia
  Centralia, Washington
  Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 16,336 at the 2010 census.-History:In pioneer days, Centralia was the halfway stopover point for stagecoaches operating between the Columbia River and Seattle. In 1850, J. G. Cochran came from Missouri with his...
  
  
• Chehalis
  Chehalis, Washington
  Chehalis is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,259 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County.-History:...
  
  
• Elma
  Elma, Washington
  Elma is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,107 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Elma is located at ....
  
  
• Hoodsport
  Hoodsport, Washington
  Hoodsport is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States. Hoodsport is located along the Hood Canal, at the intersection of U.S. Route 101 and State Route 119. Lake Cushman is nearby. Hoodsport is the gateway to the Staircase area of Olympic National Park.The first...
  
  
• Hoquiam
  Hoquiam, Washington
  Hoquiam is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington state, United States. The town borders the city of Aberdeen at Myrtle Street with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a common economic history in lumbering and exporting but Hoquiam has maintained its independent identity...
  
  
• Ilwaco
  Ilwaco, Washington
  Ilwaco is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 950 at the 2000 census and decreased to 936 at the 2010 census.-History:...
  
  
• Lacey
  Lacey, Washington
  Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. Established as a suburb of Olympia, its population was 42,393 at the 2010 census out of a county population of 252,264.-History:...
  
  
• McCleary
  McCleary, Washington
  McCleary is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,653 on April 1, 2010.-History:Henry McCleary came to the land in 1897, building two sawmills and a door manufacturing company. He sold the land and the companies to Simpson Logging Company. On January 9,...
  
  
• Montesano
  Montesano, Washington
  Montesano is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,976 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grays Harbor County.-History:Montesano was first settled in 1852 by Isaiah L. Scammon....
  
  
• Naselle
  Naselle, Washington
  Naselle is a census-designated place in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 419 at the 2010 census. Though very near Columbia River's estuary, the valley's Naselle River flows west into nearby Willapa Bay and then into the Pacific Ocean. Close about the town lie the...
  
  
• Oakville
  Oakville, Washington
  Oakville is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 684 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Oakville is located at ....
  
  
• Ocean Park
  Ocean Park, Washington
  Ocean Park is a census-designated place in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,573 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Ocean Park is located at...
  
  
• Olympia
  Olympia, Washington
  Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
  
  
• Packwood
  Packwood, Washington
  Packwood is an unincorporated community located in easternmost Lewis County, Washington.Packwood is located at the intersection of US Highway 12 and Gifford Pinchot National Forest Road 52 . It is located between Mount Rainier National Park to the north and Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument...
  
  
• Randle
  Randle, Washington
  Randle is an unincorporated community in extreme eastern Lewis County, Washington, United States. Randle is located on U.S. Route 12 and is notable as the northeastern access point to the Mount St. Helens Windy Ridge viewpoint, by way of forest service roads that cut through the Gifford Pinchot...
  
  
• Raymond
  Raymond, Washington
  Raymond is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,975 at the 2000 census and decreased 3.1% to 2,882 at the 2010 census. The town's economy is based on logging and fishing, together with a limited amount of tourism....
  
  
• Rochester
  Rochester, Washington
  Rochester is a census-designated place in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1852, and the 2000 census recorded its population at 1,829. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.3 square miles , all of it land. Rochester Schools...
  
  
• Salkum
  Salkum, Washington
  Salkum is a rural unincorporated town in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The town is located on U.S. Route 12 and has a library, post office, and a fire department....
  
  
• Shelton
  Shelton, Washington
  Shelton is the county seat, of Mason County, Washington, United States. Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound. The population was 9,834 at the 2010 census. In terms of population, the city is ranked 161 out of approximately 500 municipalities in Washington...
  
  
• South Bend
  South Bend, Washington
  South Bend is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. It is the county seat of Pacific County. The population was 1,637 as of the 2010 census, a decrease of 9.4% from the 2000 census figures. The town is widely known for its oysters and scenery....
  
  
• Tenino
  Tenino, Washington
  Tenino is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2010 census.-History:Tenino was officially incorporated on July 24, 1906, though it existed as a rural community since the mid-19th century...
  
  
• Tokeland
  Tokeland, Washington
  Tokeland is a census-designated place in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 151 at the 2010 census, a sharp decrease from the 194 at the 2000 census.The town was named after Chief Toke, an Indian chief of the 19th century....
  
   (Shoalwater Bay Tribal Community Library)
• Tumwater
  Tumwater, Washington
  Tumwater is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It lies near where the Deschutes River enters Budd Inlet, the southernmost point of Puget Sound. The population was 17,371 at the 2010 census...
  
  
• Westport
  Westport, Washington
  Westport is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The city's population was 2,099 at the 2010 census.Westport is located on a peninsula on the south side of the entrance to Grays Harbor from the Pacific Ocean. The public Westport Marina is the largest marina on the outer coast...
  
  
• Winlock
  Winlock, Washington
  Winlock is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,339 at the 2010 census. It named after territorial army general, Winlock M. Miller, who briefly resided there. Winlock is mostly famous for having the World's Largest , reflecting its former status as a major...
  
  
• Yelm
  Yelm, Washington
  Yelm is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,848 at the 2010 census. Yelm ranked 10th of 279 eligible incorporated communities in the state of Washington for population growth between 2000 and 2010.-History:...
  
  

Reciprocal Library Systems

TRL participates in reciprocal borrowing agreements with the following public library systems in Washington State. Under this program, TRL cardholders can obtain free accounts at these library systems, and vice-versa.

• Fort Vancouver Regional Library District
  Fort Vancouver Regional Library District
  Fort Vancouver Regional Library District is located in Southwest and South Central Washington state. The district was established in 1950 as the first inter-county rural library district in Washington...
  
   (Clark, Klickitat, Skamania Counties)
• King County Library System
  King County Library System
  The King County Library System is a library system serving the residents of King County, Washington, United States. Headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, KCLS is currently the busiest library in the United States, circulating 22.4 million items in 2010. It consists of 48 libraries, a Traveling...
  
  
• Kitsap Regional Library
  Kitsap Regional Library
  The Kitsap Regional Library system is a library system serving Kitsap County, Washington. It runs nine libraries throughout the county, and provides a bookmobile and outreach services for youth and schools, serving a population of 233,400...
  
  
• Longview Public Library
• North Central Regional Library
  North Central Regional Library
  The North Central Regional Library , headquartered in Wenatchee, Washington, is an intercounty rural library district and municipal corporation formed in 1960. NCRL provides public library services to persons residing in Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, and Okanogan Counties...
  
   (Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant Counties)
• North Olympic Library System
  North Olympic Library System
  The North Olympic Library System provides library services to all residents of Clallam County, Washington. It has four locations around the county, including a main branch in Port Angeles. One of its locations, the Forks branch, also serves residents of Jefferson County's West End...
  
   (Clallam County)
• Pierce County Library
• Seattle Public Library
  Seattle Public Library
  The Seattle Public Library is the public library system serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It was officially established by the city in 1890, though there had been efforts to start a Seattle library as early as 1868. There are 26 branches in the system, most of them named after the neighborhoods in...
  
  
• Sno-Isle Regional Library System
  Sno-Isle Regional Library System
  Sno-Isle Libraries is the main Library service in Island and Snohomish County in the state of Washington.The origin of Sno-Isle Libraries dates from 1944 when the Snohomish County Rural Library District was established by a vote of the residents living in the unincorporated areas of the County...
  
   (Snohomish, Island Counties)
• Whatcom County Library System
  Whatcom county library system
  Whatcom County Library System provides libraries for residents of Whatcom County, Washington. It maintains nine library branches and a bookmobile, and is separate from the Bellingham Public Library system...