King County Library to add two board members for better representation

Richmond Beach Library in Shoreline
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

State legislation expanding the King County Library System (KCLS) board of trustees from five to seven members is awaiting Governor Inslee’s signature.

When the King County Library System (KCLS) Board of Trustees was established in 1943, state law required that five members serve on the Board. The adopted bill adds two members increasing the membership to seven, the first increase in board membership in seven decades.

KCLS has 49 libraries that serve 1.4 million residents in nearly every part of King County outside of Seattle including the city of Bellevue, suburban residents in Shoreline, and rural residents in the Snoqualmie Valley. The legislation would adjust the board to better represent the growing population.

According to state law board members shall be residents of either those cities or towns that, through annexation, have become part of the rural county library district or unincorporated areas of the county, and that represent the geographic diversity of the library district. Members are appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county legislative authority.