County Council seeks applicants for library board

The Clark County Council is seeking applicants to fill one of three Clark County-recommended positions on the seven-member Fort Vancouver Regional Library District board of trustees.

The at-large position is designated for a Clark County resident living outside the Vancouver and Camas city limits. 

The seven-year term begins Jan. 1, 2023, and ends Dec. 31, 2030.

The board meets at 6 p.m. every third Monday. Meetings currently are held in a hybrid format. A schedule of public meetings is online at fvrl.org/about-us/trustees. 

Library trustees are responsible for policies regarding the district’s 15 locations, two bookmobiles, online services at fvrl.org and centralized headquarters. The service area includes approximately 464,000 people and covers more than 4,200 square miles in southwest and south-central Washington. It includes all of Clark County except the city of Camas, all of Skamania and Klickitat counties and the city of Woodland in Cowlitz County. Camas is served by the independent Camas Public Library.

The district operates community libraries in Battle Ground, Goldendale, La Center, North Bonneville,

Ridgefield, Stevenson, Washougal, White Salmon Valley and Woodland, as well as four outlets in the Vancouver urban area including downtown, Cascade Park, Three Creeks and the Vancouver Mall. The district also has two self-service locations in Yacolt and Yale Valley (Ariel), providing services to Yale Valley Library District patrons through an operational agreement.

People interested in serving should send a letter and resume to Michelle Pfenning, County Manager’s Office, P.O. Box 5000, Vancouver 98666-5000 or email to michelle.pfenning@clark.wa.gov. 

The application deadline is 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3.

Applicants should discuss their understanding of current challenges for public libraries; perspectives concerning public library services, facilities and materials such as print and electronic books and magazines, CDs, DVDs and digital resources; and the district’s funding as a junior taxing district.