Pierce County Library System

The Pierce County Library System (PCLS) is a library system serving the residents of Pierce County, Washington. The Pierce County Library System has 20 library locations serving 580,000 people in unincorporated Pierce County and 15 cities and towns which have annexed to the system for library service. It circulates 6.9 million items annually, hosts seasonal youth story times, teen clubs, events for youth and adults, classes for skills development and technology, an active summer reading program, and connects with social media. In 2016, there were 334,362 library cardholders, PCLS locations had more than 2.2 million visitors, and the website had more than 3.5 million visitors.[3]

Pierce County Library System
Fife branch
47°09′20″N 122°23′13″W
LocationPierce County, Washington, US
TypePublic library
Established1946
Branches20 locations
Collection
Size1.2 million items
Access and use
Circulation7.4 million
Population served580,835
Members334,362
Other information
Budget$31.9 million[1]
DirectorGeorgia Lomax
Websitepiercecountylibrary.org
References: Washington Public Library Statistical Report, 2016[2]

History

The Pierce County Library System was formed by a ballot measure passed by voters in unincorporated Pierce County on November 7, 1944. The library began operating on January 2, 1946, and opened seven station branches in its first year.[4] The system served unincorporated areas of the county as well as towns and cities that annex or contract with PCLS. Over its 75+ years, it has had five directors: Marion Cromwell, Carolyn Else, Neel Parikh, Georgia Lomax, and Gretchen Caserotti.

Locations

Current Locations

The library's headquarters, Administrative Center & Library, is in the Summit-Waller area, southeast of Tacoma, Washington. The busiest locations are Gig Harbor, South Hill, Lakewood, University Place, and Parkland/Spanaway.

Former locations

The library system has added and closed many other library locations over its history. Defunct branches include: American Lake Gardens, Browns Point, Longmire, McNeil Island, National, and Wilkeson.

Service area

The Pierce County Library System serves all of rural Pierce County and any of the cities that have annexed into its service area. This includes all of the cities listed above, but does not include Carbonado, Fircrest, and Ruston.

See also

References
  1. "Library Board to hold final public hearing on 2018 budget and discuss other issues" (PDF) (Press release). Pierc County Library System. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  2. "2016 Washington Public Library Statistical Report" (PDF). Washington State Library. October 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  3. "2016 Annual Report to the Community" (PDF). Pierce County Library System. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 8, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  4. "A Short History of Pierce County Library: 1946 – 1965" (PDF). Pierce County Library System. Retrieved January 9, 2018.


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