11/04/2015 - Library Levy Results Tigard Public Library
Press Release
TIGARD
13500 SW Hall Boulevard Tigard, Oregon 97223 www.tigard-or.gov/library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 4, 2015
Contact:
Paula M. Walker
Communications Coordinator
City of Tigard
503-718-2508
paula@tigard-or.gov
Voters Approve Countywide Library Levy
Tigard Library Will Open on Thursdays
Voters approved a countywide library levy on Tuesday. Unofficial results show that the
measure passed by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent. Passage of the levy means that the Tigard
Library will re-open on Thursdays beginning January 7, 2016.
"We are thrilled that voters came out and showed their support for public libraries,"Tigard
Library Director Margaret Barnes said. "It's a win for reading. It's a win for education. It's a win for
the community."
Barnes noted that patrons have requested Thursday hours since the library closed in 2012.
"Now the library can provide access to people seven days a week," she said. "Students will
have an additional school day to use the library's resources for their schoolwork. We don't live in a
Monday-Friday work world. This will allow us to assist people when they need it,no matter what
their schedule is."
The levy will replace the existing levy that expires in June 2016. The current levy provides
one-third of county funding for public libraries through Washington County Cooperative Library
Services (WCCLS).
"While the levy's passage will allow us to open on Thursdays, that's only part of the story,"
Barnes said. "It means that the library will be able to continue to provide reading programs for kids,
so that they can start school ready to read."
The library director said the library will also be able to maintain the current level of other
services, such as purchasing books, films and music and offering programs and classes for all ages.
Had the levy not passed, the library would have had to cut back those services considerably.
Barnes noted that the move to re-open on Thursdays was truly a grassroots effort that
involved citizens who serve on the library board and the budget committee working with the city's
elected officials. During the city's budget process last spring, the Budget Committee and the City
Council approved opening on Thursdays if the levy passed.
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