Sequim library to reopen Saturday, March 21
Published 6:00 pm Friday, March 13, 2026
Just over two years after closing for renovations, North Olympic Library System staff announced that the refurbished and expanded Sequim Library at 630 N. Sequim Ave. will reopen on Saturday, March 21. Operating hours that day are set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
“We have been anticipating this date for a long time and I can’t express how thrilled we are to finally open the doors,” said NOLS Executive Director Noah Glaude in a press release.
“After receiving a permit from the City of Sequim on March 11 allowing us to let the public on site, we’re opening as quickly as possible so people can begin using and enjoying the library.
“We look forward to celebrating with the entire community at a big event during our Summer Reading Program, with live music and other free activities.”
Administrators said this will be a soft opening with the celebratory event to be announced later in the year.
Regular hours resume on Monday, March 23. Those will be 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.
Holds will stop being available from 2-5 p.m. Thursday, March 19 at the Sequim Temporary Library, 609 W. Washington St., Suite 21. Return boxes will remain there 24/7 until March 21.
Materials and library card sign-ups will be available along with computer stations and free Wi-Fi at the Sequim Library starting on March 21 with more to become available in the coming weeks, such as reserving study and meeting rooms.
Staff will also offer tours of the new building at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. March 24, 26, and 28 starting in the community meeting room. Reservations are not required.
Programs will return to the library starting March 28.
Sequim Library Manager Emily Sly said she can’t wait to see regular patrons and new library users come through the doors for the first time.
“This building was designed for our community based on decades of observing how patrons use their library, whether that’s finding a quiet place to focus, curling up with a good book or attending one of our free events,” she said.
“We’re especially excited about the new children’s area, a dedicated space just for teens, and the variety of free meeting room spaces.”
Construction timeline
NOLS staff report that General Contractor Hoch Construction officially broke ground April 24, 2024 on the approximate $10.7 million project. The new space has about 10,000 more square feet with new furnishings, new reading, study, and meeting rooms, and a new outdoor stage.
The library closed on March 10, 2024 to move to the temporary library, which opened on April 1, 2024.
Library staff moved its materials in February 2026 from the temporary library to the renovated library.
They said several building projects remain underway for a few more months while awaiting warmer weather that won’t interfere with library operations, such as installing a cedar sun shade on the east window wall, irrigation updates, and landscaping.
“While the project took longer than originally planned, we’re very pleased with the craftsmanship Hoch Construction and local subcontractors have brought to the work,” Glaude said.
“We’re proud of the result and confident it will serve Sequim well for many years to come.”
NOLS staff said improving the Sequim Library dates back 25 years to a feasibility study, and a second study 15 years ago, Glaude wrote in a NOLS blog post.
After a 2018 bond measure failed by 1% of the required super majority of 60% to construct a new library, staff and supporters sought different funding and construction plans.
Staff report the new library building was funded through timber revenue, community donations and state grants through NOLS’ capital budget, and not the library levy.
In December 2025, staff announced that approximately $9.1 million of the $10.7 million library project was funded through timber revenue via state forest trust lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
They said that timber revenue is projected to help fund construction costs through completion, and future timber revenue to repay a 20-year low-interest loan through the state.
Community members donated more than $1.5 million for the project with grants supporting amenities such as solar panels, a facility battery backup, and electric vehicle chargers.
NOLS’ board of trustees approved $2 million from the library system’s capital reserves to launch facility planning in 2020 to match a Department of Commerce Library Capital Improvement Program grant.
NOLS announced in February it will put a proposition on an April 28 special election ballot asking to increase its regular property tax levy from its current rate $0.28 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed valuation to $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed valuation starting in 2027 — the first such request it has made in more than 15 years.
All Clallam County registered voters will receive a ballot. Levies must pass with 50% plus one vote. NOLS’ operating budget for its four branches and outreach services consists of about 87% of property taxes, staff report.
For more information about the Sequim Library and its operations, visit nols.org.
