Two more Tacoma libraries open for walk-ins, appointments starting Tuesday
Tacoma Public Library is opening two more locations for limited in-person service starting Tuesday, May 11.
The Kobetich Library, 212 Browns Point Blvd. NE, and Moore Library, 215 S. 56th St., will allow visits by appointment or walk-in.
The Fern Hill Library and Swasey Library opened for in-person services in March.
The libraries have been closed for months due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The openings will mean that half of Tacoma Public Library system’s eight brick-and-mortor locations will be available for in-person services.
“We would like to have more of our locations open but continue to face setbacks in doing so,” stated Director Kate Larsen in a recent news release. “Numerous unanticipated absences throughout our system due to illness, injuries, and even jury duty have left Tacoma Public Library extremely short staffed.
“In addition, we are working to complete a full-scale technology upgrade project that began in early 2020; the final stages of the work will ensure that visitors will have access to computers and printers when our doors reopen. “
Tacoma’s Main Library on Tacoma Avenue downtown will remain closed through fall 2022 as the building undergoes facility upgrades and a reorganization of operations. In the meantime, people who typically work at the Main Library have been deployed to other locations to alleviate staffing shortages.
The library’s Digital Media Lab will open for visits by appointment starting May 12, and the library’s Northwest Room for historical collections will open for visits by appointment starting May 15.
All library locations, including the Eastside Microlibrary, 1721 E 56th St. offer curbside services.
The state’s ”Healthy Washington” plan for reopening dictates that the number of patrons and staff in libraries cannot exceed 25 percent of total capacity during Phase 2.
Patrons are required to wear masks and socially distance while inside the libraries.
For more information, visit tacomalibrary.org.
