Pierce County Library Board to Discuss Time- and Cost-Efficient Plans

At its January meeting Pierce County Library System’s Board of Trustees will discuss changes in operations that are helping the Library System save time and money, a new way for the public to print documents in libraries, and other issues. 

The Board of Trustees will meet at the Library’s Processing and Administrative Center, 3005 112^th St. E., in Tacoma, on Wednesday, Jan. 9, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. 

Saving time and money: Every year the Library System looks for and implements changes to save time and money.

During the board meeting Deputy Director Georgia Lomax will give an overview of the changes in operations staff made in 2012, which help save time and/or money in 2012 and 2013. In some cases the Library System has stopped doing what has been determined no longer necessary or valued by the public.

In other instances technology improvements have saved time or money. Some of the changes include: 

• Stopped advertising in Dex phone books, saving $2,117 annually.
• Replaced roof at Sumner Pierce County Library with an energy star and LEED standards roof, saving $10,000 in energy costs annually.
• Hired a new landscape service, saving $25,000 annually.
• Changed the computer administration system, saving a total of $60,000 in 2012 and $69,000 in 2013.
• Implemented a new software system for recruiting and hiring staff, saving 250 hours in staff time annually.
• Changed process to move books from library to library, saving 2,100 in staff time annually.

Public printing documents in libraries: This spring, library customers will move from an honor system of paying for items they print on library printers and copiers to a computer system that will automatically require payment.

Customers will also have many more printing options including multiple paper sizes, color printing and back-to-back copying. People can pay with credit card or cash. This print management system is used in other libraries throughout the U.S. 

Pierce County Library is the fourth largest library system in the state in terms of population served, serving 555,000 people with 18 libraries and an online library.

View the full board meeting agenda packet here.

Information provided by the Pierce County Library System.