Regional library cuts 25% of staff in South Sound layoffs. Here’s what to know
In an effort to address a budget shortfall, Timberland Regional Library will cut 61 positions through involuntary and voluntary layoffs, or 25% of its staff, the five-county library district announced Monday.
The library system, which is headquartered in Tumwater, employs 240 people, The Olympian has previously reported. The involuntary layoffs are set to take effect in May, according to a news release.
“Library and union leadership began meeting in early February to discuss staffing reductions,” the news release reads. “Upon agreement to offer a voluntary layoff option, the district received requests from 17 employees. An additional 44 positions were identified for involuntary layoff with notices delivered on March 15, 2026, that will go into effect May 15, 2026.”
Which positions will be cut and where?
“The reduction in force primarily affects the library assistant classification and was developed with the goal of maintaining staffing levels to the fullest extent possible throughout the district considering the size of the library and minimum staffing levels,” said Timberland spokeswoman Anna Lisa Rasmussen in an email on Monday.
Of the 61 involuntary and voluntary layoffs, 26 of the affected positions are assigned to Thurston County libraries, she said. The remainder are balanced across the district. Only five libraries that are normally staffed did not have positions identified for layoffs, she added.
The Thurston County libraries are in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm and Tenino. Timberland also serves Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason and Pacific counties.
The library union, AFSCME Local 3758-B, added in its own announcement that librarian and public services specialist positions also will be cut.
“Local 3758-B is working diligently to provide resources and help to all union members facing layoffs,” the announcement reads.
The Hoodsport, McCleary, and Amanda Park libraries in Mason and Grays Harbor counties will transition to an expanded access hours-only (EAH), self-service model, Rasmussen said.
The Naselle library (in Pacific County) made this transition in the fall of 2024, she wrote.
“During discussions with union leadership regarding the reduction in force, TRL management had proposed to keep these three additional libraries (Hoodsport, McCleary and Amanda Park) regularly staffed with one employee each.
“The most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement includes language that allows rural libraries to utilize solo staffing during lunch periods and unplanned absences, and TRL’s proposal sought to expand the solo staffing provision to keep staff in as many smaller libraries as possible.
“This proposal was not approved by the union membership so the alternative, EAH-only, plan is being implemented for these branches,” Rasmussen said.
The union countered in its announcement that those three branches will operate on a “locked key-card model without staff present, severely limiting community members’ abilities to use those libraries.”
About the budget
Timberland announced earlier this year that the district faced a budget shortfall as property tax revenues have not kept pace with rising costs. That shortfall has previously been identified at $3.8 million.
“While the library has made organizational changes and operational adjustments to offset growing expenses, expenditures are now projected to exceed revenues beyond what can be addressed through incremental changes alone,” library officials said in the release. “To maintain financial stability and continue serving communities across its five-county service area, TRL must reduce operating costs, including staffing.”
The library’s Board of Trustees voted on a budget adjustment for 2026 and authorized executive director Cheryl Heywood to move forward with a reduction in force at its Feb. 26 board meeting.
The budget adjustment included cuts previously announced by Timberland, such as a $1.8 million reduction in the books and materials budget.
None of this has gone over very well with the community. More than 200 people attended the online board meeting on Feb. 26, including dozens who spoke out about protecting jobs, services or called on leadership to review the library system’s financials.
In the wake of these discussions, online petitions have sprouted in support of preserving Timberland services and against the library trustees. One asks residents to email county commissioners – county commissioners play a role in appointing library trustees – urging them to remove the board, while another petition calls on residents to preserve the library system.
The union, too, expressed frustration that there were no higher-level cuts.
“Compounding the frustration of union library workers is that no additional layoffs or pay cuts have been announced for non-represented leadership, administrators, and other behind-the-scenes departments,” union officials said in their announcement.
Lewis County Trustee and board President Brian Mittge said this plan helps keep libraries open.
“My goal ... going forward is to continue doing what TRL has done since rural voters created this library district almost 60 years ago – providing library services to communities across our five counties,” said Mittge during the February 2026 meeting. “I want to keep libraries open, and this plan will help us do that to the greatest extent we can.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2026 at 1:08 PM.
