Local, free of charge and endlessly entertaining, Whatcom County libraries are wide open for summer adventures, including Whatcom Grooves concerts, camps, and a Summer Reading challenge for all ages that begins at kickoff parties the week of June 22. Beyond events, the library system can also help you explore your own backyard this summer. Borrow trail guides or local history … Read more
The Birch Bay Vogt Library Express is another step closer to completion following the selection of a building contractor for the 1,700-square-foot library project at 7948 Birch Bay Drive. At its May 19 meeting, Whatcom County Library System’s Board of Trustees awarded the approximately $1.4 million contract to Summit Construction Group Inc. of Bellingham. Osborn Architects Inc. of Lynden … Read more
Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in the fourth and final round of Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with … Read more
This spring, Bellingham Public Library and Whatcom County Library System invite you to take part in One Book, One Coast, a shared reading initiative connecting more than 190 library systems across California, Oregon and Washington, including 25 in Washington state. Organized by LA County Library, One Book, One Coast brings together West Coast library systems … Read more
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger is Whatcom READS’ 2027 book selection. Javier Zamora, the author of the literary program’s 2026 featured title, Solito: A Memoir, made the announcement at the close of his March 13 Whatcom READS author event at the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, Wash. As described on the author’s website, I Cheerfully Refuse is “set in a not-too-distant America and is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on … Read more
Day in and day out, Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) staff help local teens explore new ideas and express their creativity. But WCLS’s Teen Services really shine during the Pacific Northwest’s darkest months. Each fall, teen artists submit original artwork to be considered for WCLS’s popular teen art anthology, Whatcomics. Submissions are accepted Sept. 1 … Read more
DID YOU KNOW: Our interlibrary loan (ILL) service connects you to a world of books. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the Whatcom County Library System catalog, we will try to borrow it for you from another library. Simply fill out the form on wcls.org/can’t-find-it. We’ll do our best to track down the book and deliver it to your holds shelf. AN ILL STORY Scott Lambridis is a designer, an illustrator and a writer. He’s also a voracious reader. For the past decade, Lambridis has read at least … Read more
Library staff and booksellers who organize and present Whatcom READS have announced the literary program’s 2026 schedule of community and author events, celebrating Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora. The book selection was announced in March 2025. The bestselling memoir, which recounts the author’s odyssey from El Salvador to Arizona as an unaccompanied 9-year-old, presents … Read more
Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) seeks a Whatcom County resident who loves libraries to serve as a member of its Board of Trustees. This term will begin Feb. 1, 2026 and will expire Jan. 31, 2030. The application deadline is Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. Library trustees’ responsibilities include: Candidates should live in Whatcom County, outside the city … Read more
The Deming community will celebrate the unveiling of a mural painted for the Deming Library building by celebrated Coast Salish artist Sienum Jason LaClair at a 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13 public event at the library, 5044 Mt. Baker Hwy. The mural was funded by The Norcliffe Foundation, Whatcom Educational Credit Union, Whatcom Community Foundation’s … Read more