West Slope Library is currently operated directly by Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS), and the only library within the county that is not operated by a city or non-profit organization. Like many public agencies in Oregon, Washington County continues to experience increasing community need, and the cost of delivering services to the community outpaces the revenue available. Under the Board of County Commissioners’ leadership, Washington County seeks to ensure that library operations are led by partner cities or non-profit agencies.

WCCLS is exploring an alternate model for the operator of West Slope Library with the goal of keeping this location open and continuing to serve the community. The Board appreciates the vital role that libraries play in our communities and is committed to the continued success of our library system in Washington County. 

As West Slope Library’s closest collaborators and neighbors in library service delivery, Garden Home Community Librarywanted to find a way to deepen the existing partnership with West Slope Library by incorporating it into their non-profit agency, Garden Home Community Library Association (GHCLA). This would align West Slope Library with the operational model for public library services in urban unincorporated areas of Washington County, where the libraries are operated by non-profit organizations. WCCLS is working with GHCLA to explore transitioning the library to being operated by the GHCLA non-profit.

The Board of County Commissioners will review the transition plan later this summer, and if the Board of Commissioners and the GHCLA Board both wish to move forward, the transition process would begin.  

It’s too early to provide definitive answers to many questions at this point in the project, but we have made a lot of progress! We will share major milestones and updates in this newsletter and on the WCCLS’ website.

For questions about this project, please contact Hillary Ostlund, WCCLS Community Relations Manager, at hillaryo@wccls.org.