Sequim Library plans to reopen on Saturday
Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 19, 2026
SEQUIM — The refurbished and expanded Sequim Library will reopen on Saturday after two years of renovations.
“We have been anticipating this date for a long time and I can’t express how thrilled we are to finally open the doors,” North Olympic Library System Executive Director Noah Glaude stated in a news release.
“After receiving a permit from the City of Sequim on March 11 allowing us to let the public on site, we’re opening as quickly as possible so people can begin using and enjoying the library.
“We look forward to celebrating with the entire community at a big event during our Summer Reading Program, with live music and other free activities.”
Administrators said this will be a soft opening with the celebratory event to be announced later in the year.
The library, at 630 N. Sequim Ave., will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Regular hours will resume on Monday.
Those are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Materials and library card signups will be available along with computer stations and free Wi-Fi at the Sequim Library starting Saturday with more to become available in the coming weeks, such as reserving study and meeting rooms.
Staff also will offer tours of the new building at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 26 and March 28 starting in the community meeting room. Reservations are not required.
Programs will return to the library starting March 28.
Sequim Library manager Emily Sly said she can’t wait to see regular patrons and new library users come through the doors for the first time.
“This building was designed for our community based on decades of observing how patrons use their library, whether that’s finding a quiet place to focus, curling up with a good book or attending one of our free events,” she said.
“We’re especially excited about the new children’s area, a dedicated space just for teens, and the variety of free meeting room spaces.”
Construction timeline
NOLS staff said general contractor Hoch Construction broke ground on April 24, 2024, on the approximate $10.7 million project. The new space has about 10,000 more square feet with new furnishings, new reading, study and meeting rooms, plus a new outdoor stage.
The library closed on March 10, 2024, to move to the temporary library, which opened on April 1, 2024.
Library staff moved materials last month from the temporary library to the renovated building.
They said several building projects will remain underway for a few more months while they wait for warmer weather that won’t interfere with library operations, such as installing a cedar sun shade on the east window wall, irrigation updates and landscaping.
“While the project took longer than originally planned, we’re very pleased with the craftsmanship Hoch Construction and local subcontractors have brought to the work,” Glaude said.
“We’re proud of the result and confident it will serve Sequim well for many years to come.”
NOLS staff said improving the Sequim Library dates back 25 years to a feasibility study and a second study 15 years ago, Glaude wrote in a blog post.
After a 2018 bond measure failed by a 1 percent margin of the required 60 percent supermajority to construct a new library, staff and supporters sought different funding and construction plans.
Staff report the new library building was funded through timber revenue, community donations and state grants through NOLS’ capital budget and not the library levy.
In December 2025, staff announced that about $9.1 million of the $10.7 million project was funded through timber revenue via state forest trust lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
They said that timber revenue is projected to help fund construction costs through completion, and future timber revenue will repay a 20-year, low-interest loan through the state.
Community members donated more than $1.5 million for the project with grants supporting amenities such as solar panels, a facility battery backup 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.
NOLS announced in February it will put a proposition on an April 28 special election ballot asking to increase its regular property tax levy from its current rate of $0.28 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $0.45 per $1,000 starting in 2027 — the first such request it has made in more than 15 years.
All Clallam County registered voters will receive a ballot. Levies must pass with a simple majority.
NOLS’ operating budget for its four branches and outreach services consists of about 87 percent of property taxes, staff report.
For more information about the Sequim Library and its operations, visit nols.org.
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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.
