Community Education
Some services at Pierce County libraries remain unavailable due to ‘technical issues’
Unspecified technical problems plaguing the Pierce County Library System remain under investigation, and the library still can’t say when all its services will be available again.
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Mary Getchell, marketing and communications director for the library system, said IT staff shut off access to the library catalog and other online systems after discovering what the library has referred to only as “technical issues” nearly three weeks ago.
Both the Gig Harbor Library on Point Fosdick Drive and others across the system are experiencing disruptions.
Many, but not all, library services are affected. Click here for the library’s list of which services are available and which aren’t.
The entrance to the Gig Harbor Library at 4424 Point Fosdick Drive on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
No timeframe for service restoration
Getchell declined to elaborate on what caused the issues. Asked directly if a malicious act or hacking occurred, she replied: “The investigation is ongoing.”
“We don’t have a timeframe” for when service will be restored, Getchell wrote in an email to Gig Harbor Now.
“The Library’s Information Technology (IT) team and specialists we retained are working tirelessly to identify, contain, and address the issues so we can safely make all library services available,” she wrote.
Library staff discovered the problem the weekend of April 19-20. The library system posted a message on its website about the issues, last updated on April 29.
The technical problems prevent librarians from checking borrowed items back in. Patrons should just keep what they have for now.
“For people with books or other materials to return, please hold onto those until we share otherwise,” Getchell wrote. “Watch the Library’s website for updates. As a reminder, the Library System does not charge fees for late materials.”
Pierce County Library has borrowing agreements with the Tacoma Public Library, King County Library System and the multi-county Timberland Regional Library. Getchell urged patrons to “get a card from those libraries and use their services while we work to get the services back online at Pierce County Library.”
Unspecified ‘technical problems’ at the Gig Harbor Library, and others in the Pierce County Library System, left some services unavailable in April and May, 2025.