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Lacey library announces new manager, reports staff reorganization and equipment thefts
Summary
Timberland reorganization reduced supervisory staff at the Lacey branch; Christina Hancock will begin Feb. 10 as the new manager. The library reported nine stolen phones used for materials tracking, a stolen toilet seat, and planned building remodel with study rooms in Q4 2025.
Library staff told the Lacey Library Advisory Board that Christina Hancock will begin as the Lacey branch manager on Feb. 10 and that a system reorganization has reduced supervisory staff at the branch.
Blake, speaking as the library presenter, said, "We have a new manager coming on board. Her name is Christina Hancock. She starts February 10th. She's coming to us from the Arkansas State Library for the blind and print disabled, which she has directed for the past decade or so." Blake said interviews were unanimous in selecting Hancock and that she will attend the next board meeting.
Blake described a recent systemwide reorganization at Timberland that consolidated positions across the five-county district and left the Lacey branch with fewer supervisors. He named Diane Stewart and Reyna Sadore as longtime staff whose departures will be a significant loss to local operations and school outreach: "Diane Stewart has been with Lacey for at least a dozen years... Reyna Sadore... has been very embedded in the school system," Blake said.
Staff also reported thefts of library equipment used for inventory and materials movement. Blake said nine cellular phones, part of the new materials management system, went missing and that staff filed a police report. "Those phones did go missing. We filed a police report," he said. Blake added the tracking system registers only the last time a device connected to a wireless network, and the last connection was at the library at unusual times; he said he did not suspect staff.
Other facility issues recorded in the meeting included a stolen toilet seat and the recent installation of an electric vehicle charging station in the parking lot; board members asked whether installation reduced accessible parking spaces, but Blake said he could not confirm that and that the number of handicapped spots remained uncertain.
On facilities planning, board members discussed proposed small study rooms and a larger remodel. Blake said study rooms are in the 2025 budget and are expected to be part of a remodel tentatively scheduled for Q4 2025. He said the library is shifting programming toward outreach and community-based offerings under a new Timberland strategic direction for 2025, which priorities school-age and teen services and digital literacy.
Blake also briefed the board on a suspended community program (a read-to-cats partnership at Pacific Cafe) and on ongoing increases in library programming, noting that public service staff are delivering approximately 20 programs per month per librarian amid coverage gaps for medical leave.
Board members raised questions about the Hawkesbury/Hawkes Ferry branch replacement: Blake said the planned Young Child and Family Center (with a dedicated children-focused library space) will replace the existing branch and is expected to be completed in 2027. He described staff planning, lease timelines, and coordination with facilities and administrative staff.
