The Olympia Timberland library was closed Monday, March 16, due to limited staffing.
The day prior, the Timberland Regional Library (TRL) sent layoff notices to 44 employees after accepting 17 voluntary layoffs — a total of 61 employees, roughly a quarter of the five-county district’s total staff.
While the layoffs don’t go into effect until May 15, community members are saying Monday’s library closure is just the start of service reductions patrons will see as a result of TRL's decision to address its multi-million dollar budget deficit by laying off staff.
Already, anonymous library staff and library advocates say TRL is planning to move at least three rural branches to a fully staffless model.
“TRL recognizes the dedication and contributions of its staff and is working to approach these changes with care for both employees and the communities they serve,” TRL said in a news release on Monday. “Although some services and hours may change in the coming months, TRL remains committed to providing essential library services across its service area and will continue working to support communities during this transition.”
Other service changes expected to take effect in the coming months include fewer new materials purchased and longer hold times, fewer library programs due to reduced use of paid performers and presenters, significant reductions in supplies and non-essential purchases, limits on employee travel for conferences and training, and an ongoing hiring freeze.
A reduction in free printing from $44 per month to $20 per month went into effect March 1.
While there were few oppositions to most of the budget reductions, hundreds of community members opposed the layoffs in public comments to the TRL Board of Trustees last month.
The board notably did not approve a specific number of layoffs, but authorized Executive Director Cheryl Heywood “to take all necessary action to implement the reduction in force in accordance with the applicable policy procedures and legal requirements.”
“TRL leadership and the Board of Trustees worked together to focus on several important priorities: keep libraries open and accessible to the public, staff libraries to the fullest extent possible, keep staff working in the libraries where they currently serve their communities, and limit the number of staff laid off to the fewest necessary to reach a sustainable operating level,” TRL said in a news release Monday.
Members of the public have been calling for the Board of Trustees to issue a vote of no confidence in Heywood and two other high-level library executives, Operations Director Brenda Lane and Library Services Director Andrea Heisel, who they claim put the library district in this position.
After layoff notices went out on Sunday, local advocacy group Timberland Library Patron Coalition for Local Libraries started an email campaign asking county commissioners of the five member counties to remove the current Board of Trustees, saying they blatantly disregarded the concerns expressed by their constituents and were complicit in creating the current budget crisis.
The coalition also started a petition with demands to TRL that include:
The petition had 239 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
The union that represents TRL workers, AFSCME Local 3758, is offering help to members who received a layoff notice on Sunday.
The union has publicly opposed the layoffs and called for an independent investigation into possible budget mismanagement.
