Sequim library reopens to more than 1,000 visitors

Published 1:30 am Monday, March 30, 2026

SEQUIM — Patrons filled the aisles, computer stations and new book nooks inside the Sequim Library for its reopening after it had been closed for the past two years for expansion and renovations.

Reactions ranged from calling it “fancy” to feelings of thankfulness.

While looking through the movie section, Melody Roper of Sequim, an avid library user, called the new space “beautiful.”

“I’m just so happy for Sequim and the people,” she said.

North Olympic Library System (NOLS) staff said 1,256 people visited on March 21 with 1,783 items checked out, and 36 patrons signed up for library cards.

Richard Kaye of Sequim was the first patron to check out an item at the library within a few minutes of the 10 a.m. opening. He spotted the photography book “America the Abandoned” by Bryan Sansivero on a shelf upon walking into the new library, which is more than 3,000 square feet larger than before with all new furniture and more eco-friendly amenities. The library is located at 630 N. Sequim Ave.

The March 21 event was considered a soft opening; a grand reopening celebration will be announced later this year.

The library’s hours will be 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.

Kaye, a frequent library user, said he prefers physical books and that the library has been a “good resource” for him.

“The librarians have become my friends,” he said.

Sequim siblings Zealand Higgs, 10, and Angus Higgs, 7, were the first two patrons to enter the library after a countdown led by branch manager Emily Sly.

Their mother Callie said she’s a lifelong library patron and that she met a core group of friends nearly 10 years ago when she took Zealand to the library’s Family Storytime event.

Expanding the library dates back 20-plus years, NOLS staff said, following the library system’s first feasibility study.

After a proposed bond measure to build a new library failed in 2018, NOLS staff sought funding elsewhere.

Its board of trustees first 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.

SHKS Architects of Seattle was hired for the library’s design. Hoch Construction of Port Angeles was the project’s general contractor and the company enlisted many local subcontractors.

The library closed on March 10, 2024, to move to a temporary location that opened on April 1, 2024. Ground was broken on the project on April 24, 2024.

The $10.7 million project will largely be funded by $9.1 million from state forest trust lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources, staff said.

Timber revenues in the amount of $2 million helped NOLS launch planning in 2020, and $1 million was used for construction from 2024-2026. Another $6.1 million in future timber revenue is designated to repay a 20-year, low-interest loan NOLS received through the state’s LOCAL Program.

Community members also donated more than $1.5 million for the project, and grants helped pay for various elements, such as solar panels and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.

NOLS staff said library levy funds were not used to fund the Sequim expansion.

Levy lid lift

In an April 28 special election, all Clallam County voters will be asked for the first time in 15-plus years to support a levy lid lift to raise the library’s 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.

Staff said Washington limits NOLS’ annual property tax revenue growth to 1 percent per year, which hasn’t kept up with increased costs.

The levy supports more than 87 percent of NOLS’ operating budget with four branches and outreach services.

A homeowner with an assessed property value of $500,000 would see a $7.08 monthly increase or just under $85 more a year in property taxes.

For more information about the Sequim Library, visit nols.org. For more about the levy lid lift, visit nols.org/levy.

________

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.