Friends of the Olympia Library

Visit the Timberland Libraries this summer for a passport to adventure! Pick up a passport at any Timberland Library in Thurston, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Mason, and Pacific counties. Then get your passport stamped at as many of the 27 libraries as you can before September 12. Starting September 13, bring in your stamped passport to be entered into a drawing for great prizes! Check out the complete details.

The Timberland Regional Library system is upgrading its catalog in May. The libraries are each closing for one day in April so that the librarians can attend training. Olympia will be closed April 26. Visit the TRL website to see other location closure dates and to learn more about the upgrade.

• Seattle Times article
• US IMPACT study

“A third of Americans 14 and older – about 77 million people – use public library computers to look for jobs, connect with friends, do their homework and improve their lives, according to a new study” — including half of the nation’s teens.

A good reminder of the power of libraries to make a positive difference in people’s lives!

Here is a great article by the new local newspaper, Olympia Power and Light:

Olympia Library Article Olympia Power and Ligh 2009t

You an also download the article here in pdf format.

Matthew Green wrote a three-page article about our library and the Friends in the latest issue of Olympia Power and Light, a new newspaper in town. Unfortunately it is not available online; print copies are available at the library in the back hallway.

Budget cuts are forcing the reduction in hours at the Olympia Library (and the whole Timberland system). Starting June 1, 2009, the library hours will be:

Monday & Tuesday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Wednesday & Thursday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

You can find new schedules for all of the libraries on the TRL website.

We’ve just heard about upcoming changes to the Timberland Regional Library’s policies on checkouts and holds. Due to budget reductions, the number of items each library card holder can check out and place on hold will be changing.

As of July 1, 2009, you can only have 50 items checked out at a time, and you can only have 25 items in your hold list. This includes suspended holds. If you already have more than 25 items on your hold list, you can’t add any more until you’re back below 25.

This will save staff time, especially with upcoming reduced hours, and help to manage the library’s budget. If you have questions, contact TRL. (Read about more changes planned to reduce the budget shortfall.)