SEQUIM — North Olympic Library System staff closed the Sequim temporary location on Sunday to move operations back to the renovated and expanded library at 630 N. Sequim Ave.
A reopening date has not been announced, but staff said they’ll announce it later this month.
The temporary location, next to the former JCPenney building at 609 W. Washington St., Suite 21, will be open for holds and returns from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays this month. Outside return boxes will remain available 24/7.
Materials can be reserved at https://catalog.nols.org.
With the closure, NOLS’ free wi-fi will no longer be available at the temporary location or in the parking lot.
Construction
To start construction on the $10.7 million renovation and expansion of the Sequim Avenue branch, staff closed the building on March 10, 2024, to move operations to the temporary space, which opened on April 1, 2024.
The project adds about 10,000 square feet to the previous footprint and new amenities such as an outdoor stage.
NOLS Executive Director Noah Glaude wrote in a Jan. 21 blog update that “long-delayed pieces for the east wall of the Sequim Library have been delivered and installation is expected to be finished in the coming weeks.”
“Other subcontractors will be able to wrap up their work, which had been paused for the east wall completion,” he wrote. “We are eager to announce an opening date for the new building soon.”
Updating and expanding the library dates back to a feasibility study 25 years ago and another 15 years ago, Glaude said.
With a 2018 bond measure failing by 1 percent of the required 60 percent supermajority to construct a new library, staff and supporters pivoted to different funding and construction plans.
“Getting to the point we’re at today has not been an easy or straightforward path, and it would not have been possible without the many contributions and continuous support of donors, employees and volunteers,” Glaude wrote.
Last December, staff announced about $9.1 million of the $10.7 million library project was funded through timber revenue via state forest trust lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Staff reported that timber revenue is projected to fund about $1 million more in construction costs from the 2024 groundbreaking through completion in 2026, and $6.1 million in future timber revenue is designated to repay a 20-year, low-interest loan through the state.
Community members donated more than $1.5 million for the project, while grants helped support features such as solar panels and electric vehicle chargers.
NOLS’ board of trustees approved $2 million from the library system’s capital reserves to launch facility planning in 2020 to match a state Department of Commerce Library Capital Improvement Program grant.
“The nimbleness and grace everyone has demonstrated has been truly appreciated,” Glaude wrote.
“Thank you for your patience as we’ve navigated construction challenges.”
Glaude wrote in an email that the temporary library’s lease went through August 2025, and that they’ve been on a month-to-month lease with permission of the property manager since then.
He wrote that NOLS will rent the space through March as it will take time to clean out everything following the move.
For more updates, visit NOLS.org/Sequim.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
By the numbers
North Olympic Library System staff report that the Sequim temporary library location recorded 110,808 visits with 316,130 items checked out or renewed, 10,852 public computer sessions, 84,946 prints made and 161 programs offered for all ages.
For more about the Sequim library’s events, visit nols.org/events.
