District Overview
Fort Vancouver Regional Library District (FVRL) serves residents of southwest Washington in rural, suburban, and urban settings in Klickitat and Skamania Counties, all of Clark County except for the City of Camas, and the City of Woodland and the Yale Valley Library District in Cowlitz County. FVRL supports 13 staffed locations, two partially staffed/self-serve libraries, and two bookmobiles, while also providing books-by-mail services to those living far from established library locations. FVRL has 538,460 physical items that can be borrowed without fear of overdue fines. Our libraries also host a robust collection of over 165,296 eBook and eAudio items as well as vast digital resources including eMagazines, streaming music and video platforms, and online learning and research resources available 24/7 to anyone who has a library account. FVRL offers a wide variety of programs for the public with a focus on early literacy, lifelong learning, and the opportunity to engage with your community through its best assets—our citizens, businesses, and partner organizations.
Governance
FVRL began in 1950 as Washington's first intercounty rural library district. It's now the fifth-largest library district in Washington State. FVRL is an independent taxing district and is governed by a seven-member board of trustees in accordance with RCW 27.12. Three board members are appointed by the Clark County Council, two by the Vancouver City Council, and one each by the Klickitat and Skamania County Commissions. Three of the counties in our service area (Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat) confirm the appointees. The board hires the executive director, adopts the library district’s annual operating budget, sets an annual property tax levy, and approves the district’s long-range strategic plan. Trustees serve voluntarily and agree to uphold and embody FVRL’s Board Bylaws and Trustee Ethics and Responsibilities Policy.
Leadership
Responsible for the overall strategic direction and leadership of the district, the executive director ensures that FVRL operates within its approved budget while providing relevant programs, services, and materials that meet the needs of the diverse communities FVRL serves. The executive director’s leadership team includes the deputy director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives as well as directors for Collections and Technology Services, Communications and Marketing, Facilities, Human Resources, and Outreach and Community Partnerships. The leadership team partners closely with the 12 community librarians who serve as the branch managers of FVRL’s libraries, the district’s finance manager, and the executive director of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation.