“The Level of Access They Had”
“The level of access they had before has been crippled by these budget cuts,” Melody Sky Weaver told Washington State Standard.
Washington’s new state librarian wants $4.2 million to stabilize core services and restore public access to historic collections, the Washington State Standard reported. The funding request arrives alongside a long-delayed push to return the State Library and Archives to the Capitol campus after years of financial strain.
Persistent budget shortfalls have heavily impacted the state’s oldest cultural institution. In 2025, a dozen staff members were handed pink slips following a shortfall in projected revenue from real estate recording fees.
Public access has shrunk significantly as a result of the fiscal tightening. The state library in Tumwater now operates on a restricted schedule, remaining open by appointment only on Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m., according to hours posted by the Office of the Secretary of State.
The library’s approximately $12.7 million biennial budget supports operations, including historic collections, institutional libraries inside prisons and other state facilities, and the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library.
A joint meeting of the Joint State Capitol Committee and the Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee resulted in a Thursday vote favoring a recommendation to the Legislature for a new library and archives building. The facility is planned for the site of the former General Administration building on the Capitol campus.
The State Library left the Capitol campus following the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, moving into temporary and separate quarters. Weaver advocated for the institution’s return even before beginning her tenure as state librarian on October 1.
The proposed Library and Archives Building aims to replace aging and inadequate facilities. Plans for the structure include secure collection storage, exhibition space, meeting rooms, and public amenities designed to make the institution more accessible to lawmakers, researchers, and visitors.
Describing herself as an extroverted and loud librarian, Weaver views active public advocacy as essential for reversing years of budget cuts and raising the profile of the agency. Her broader objective is to transform the State Library from a hidden asset into an indispensable public resource.
“I feel like libraries are very sexy, but of course I’m biased,” she told Washington State Standard.
The Legislature will consider the $4.2 million budget stabilization request and the committee’s building recommendation during the upcoming legislative session.