New contract keeps Omak library services uninterrupted, project moving forward

OMAK — NCW Libraries and the City of Omak have reached agreement on a new long-term contract for library services, a move both sides say will ensure uninterrupted operations and allow planned upgrades at the Omak Public Library to move forward.

The updated 10-year agreement, pending final approval by the NCW Libraries Board of Trustees and the Omak City Council, keeps library services and programs under NCW Libraries’ management with no changes for patrons.

Through what the organizations described as a collaborative process, both parties reaffirmed a shared goal of providing reliable library service to Omak residents and the surrounding Okanogan County community.

“We are grateful to formalize a way for our staff to share stories with City Council about the incredible impact of the Omak library,” NCW Libraries Executive Director Barbara Walters said.

The agreement also clears the way for work to resume on the library’s Reimagining Spaces Project, a more than $1.5 million effort funded through grants and NCW Libraries capital dollars. The project is designed to improve accessibility, modernize interior areas and create more flexible community spaces.

NCW Libraries will provide annual reports to the Omak City Council outlining library usage, program highlights and community impact, a step intended to strengthen transparency and support the council’s role in overseeing public resources.

City leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining an active local library board to serve as a liaison between the community, the city and the regional library district.

NCW Libraries is an intercounty rural library district serving Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant and Okanogan counties, with 30 branches, a bookmobile and a mail-order program that delivers materials directly to patrons’ homes.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media