Timberland makes staffing changes at some small branches

Staffing changes within the Timberland Regional Library system will extend the duties of library managers in three counties, including Grays Harbor.

Aberdeen Timberland Library Manager Allison Grubbs will begin overseeing libraries in Westport and Amanda Park. Though the library isn’t implementing any layoffs, budget cuts dating back to 2009 have led to the elimination of empty librarian positions at libraries in smaller towns, said Jeff Kleingartner, communications manager for Timberland Regional Library.

Since the library manager in Amanda Park resigned a year ago, Kleingartner said, the position has been difficult to fill. The librarian overseeing the branch in Westport also stepped down recently.

“It’s in a remote area, many of these positions are part-time and it was just hard to find what we thought was a Timberland-quality candidate,” Kleingartner said.

The small marketplace for librarians, the part-time nature of the positions and their location in smaller towns, he added, were the likely reasons for the unfilled positions.

Even with the reduced staff, Kleingartner said that managers from larger towns could bring ideas and resources to the smaller branches. Managers from larger branches will check up on smaller libraries in person once or twice a week, Kleingartner said.

Timberland has no plans to change the hours of the affected branches, Kleingartner said, adding that patrons should see no difference in service.

Libraries in Thurston and Mason counties will also see similar changes.