Pierce County Library Board

At its August meeting the Pierce County Library System’s Board of Trustees will discuss a plan to help sustain the environment in University Place, new Fife Pierce County Library, a project to raise funds for Lakewood Pierce County Library, and other issues. The Board of Trustees will meet at the Library’s Processing and Administrative Center, 3005 112th St. E., in Tacoma, on Wednesday, Aug. 10, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.  

Environmental Sustainability in University Place: The Board of Trustees is expected to adopt recommendations for a sustainable environment outlined in the Community of University Place Vision for Sustainability. At the Board’s July meeting representatives from the City of University Place and University Place Pierce County Library provided information about the sustainability plan. The plan involves University Place School District, West Pierce Fire & Rescue, City of UP and UP Library. Individuals and organizations from throughout UP helped craft the plan that focuses on energy use, environmental health and natural resources, transportation and the overall vitality of the community.  

Fife Library: Work is underway and on schedule to build the first Fife Library. Workers have connected a pipe for a pond to contain stormwater and they are installing lines for fire sprinklers. On July 8, 60 people helped celebrate progress to build the Fife Library at a ground breaking ceremony at the site of the new library, 6622 20th Street E. Fife Mayor Barry Johnson, Library Board Chair J.J. McCament, and Library Executive Director Neel Parikh gave brief remarks at the event. The ceremonial ground breaking included the Fife City Council, Fife City Manager Dave Zabell, Fife Milton Edgewood Chamber of Commerce President Corey Wilkins, Library’s Board of Trustees, Parikh and Rep. Hans Zeiger shoveling dirt to demonstrate the breaking of the ground for the new library. The full service library is scheduled to open in late fall 2011.  

Raising funds for Lakewood Library: Late last year, Pierce County Library made improvements to the floor plan and layout of the 47-year old Lakewood Library. It made changes to allow for noisy and quiet activities in separate areas, placed computers in multiple areas in the library versus one central space, improved access to movies and music, and carved out more places for reading and group studying. The Pierce County Library Foundation is raising funds to bring further improvements for the children and teen areas. The donations will help create three distinct learning environments in the children’s area: early learning for young children, beginning readers, and ‘tweens. In the teen area the Foundation is raising funds for technology and furniture for group and individual study.    

Pierce County Library’s 17 locations bring people together, enrich lives and provide children and adults with opportunities to learn. Pierce County Library is the fourth largest library system in the state, serving 560,000 people.