Anacortes council OKs three-year interlocal to issue library cards to every student in local school district

The Anacortes City Council on June 22 approved interlocal cooperation agreement number 26-149-LIB-001 with Anacortes School District No. 103 to provide library cards to students districtwide.

Library Director Jeff Vogel told the council the renewal is the same as the prior agreement: the school district will provide student data each month and staff will load records so students can use their student ID as a library card. Vogel said the program is a three-year agreement and the district will contribute $3,000 per year to offset costs. He said there are about 2,400 students in the district and roughly 40 families have opted out of automatic enrollment.

Councilmembers praised the program as reducing barriers to access and promoting early literacy. One councilmember described the program as "seeding the next generation" by exposing students to library resources and multicultural collections.

Councilmember Ms. Kliem McGrath moved that the council authorize the mayor to execute interlocal cooperation agreement 26-149-LIB-001; another councilmember seconded the motion and the council approved it on voice vote with the chair saying "the ayes have it." The transcript did not include a roll-call tally.

During the library committee report, councilmembers also noted pending updates to the library board bylaws and that staff are still weighing a countywide library consortium and the costs and benefits of a new integrated library system (ILS). Staff mentioned a roughly $30,000 one-time migration fee as a potential downside of joining a shared ILS; discussion of that option will continue during budget season.

The interlocal is approved and will be implemented under the library’s existing procedures for data sharing and student account management.