Pierce County library system catalog has been down a week. Here’s what we know
For about a week the public has been unable to access the Pierce County Library System catalog to search for book titles and other media. The cause is unclear but under investigation, according to the system.
The Tacoma News Tribune received multiple tips from readers wondering what is going on. Marketing and communications director Mary Getchell said on April 28 that the online library catalog and some of the library system’s online resources are unavailable, but classes and events are ongoing and people can still check out materials.
“We are leading an investigation, and when we have more information, I’ll let you know,” Getchell said. “That’s all I can say right now.”
Getchell could not provide a timeline for when the online catalog would be up again or when the library system would know more about what caused the trouble.
When attempting to access the catalog on April 28, visitors were shown a message that read, “The library catalog is temporarily unavailable. We are currently experiencing some technical issues that have impacted a few of our services. Our team is actively working to resolve these issues and restore full functionality as soon as possible.”
In 2024 for the first time, online e-book and audio book checkouts surpassed physical print check outs in the Pierce County Library System, Getchell said.
As previously reported by The News Tribune, the library system began waiving fines for overdue books in 2023 and cleared account balances after staff concluded fines actually caused more harm than good. The Tacoma Public Library system has permanently eliminated overdue fines for late items since 2021.
This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 1:27 PM.
