Library board backs joining InlandShare consortium, directs staff to update nonresident card policy

At its August meeting the Liberty Lake Library Board of Trustees recommended that the Liberty Lake Municipal Library join the InlandShare Library Group and directed staff to update the library card eligibility policy to add a paid nonresident card option for Idaho residents.

The board voted to forward the membership recommendation — under the bylaws and joint-powers agreement reviewed by the city attorney — to the Liberty Lake City Council for final approval on Aug. 19. Library Director Jenny (last name not specified) told trustees the city attorney had reviewed the InlandShare bylaws and joint-powers agreement and submitted only clerical suggestions.

The decision matters because membership in the InlandShare consortium will change how the library treats nonresident users and requires a revision of the library’s card-eligibility policy. Jenny proposed charging Idaho nonresident users $30 per year for a nonresident card that would provide full access to Liberty Lake’s physical and digital collections, databases and other premium online resources; the nonresident card would be valid for one year. “And as long as you guys are in agreement as well, we'll be charging our Idaho users for nonresident library cards,” Jenny said. She added, “$30 is how much it costs us to buy one physical book,” framing the fee as comparable to the library’s per-item acquisition cost.

Under the proposal the library would maintain a three-tier approach: a Liberty Lake library card for city residents (full access), a basic reciprocal card honoring the existing agreement with Spokane County Library District (limited to in‑library and physical material borrowing and not including digital databases), and a paid nonresident Liberty Lake card for people outside InlandShare member jurisdictions. Jenny said several InlandShare members — a list she read to trustees — would not be required to pay the nonresident fee because membership carries reciprocity among those libraries.

Trustees asked staff to refine the policy language to explicitly state which digital resources and “library of things” items are included or excluded from reciprocal/basic cards. Jenny said she would verify catalog rules with technical staff before finalizing text. Trustees also raised scope and equity questions: some suggested narrowing the reciprocal coverage in Washington to Spokane County rather than the entire state, and others said the board should consider prioritizing space and high-demand resources for Liberty Lake residents once a larger community-flex facility is in place.

Board members agreed on next steps: staff will circulate redlined policy language after the meeting, return the revised policy for board review in September and attempt to adopt it by the October 1 deadline for implementation tied to InlandShare membership. The board’s recommendation to join InlandShare will appear on the city council agenda for Aug. 19; the city attorney’s review and the joint-powers agreement were cited in the board’s discussion.

The motion to recommend joining InlandShare was moved and seconded during the meeting and carried; the transcript records trustees showing hands and the chair declaring the motion passed. Specific individual vote tallies and names associated with each vote were not recorded in the meeting transcript excerpt.