Collections FAQs

  • General Questions

    You can find and borrow digital content directly from the catalog. Use the catalog search in the top-right of the page. eBooks and eAudiobooks will appear in your search results. You may choose to use the filters on the left side of the page to narrow your search to see only digital content. Check out the video below to see this process in action.

    You can also visit our Overdrive collection site to browse and borrow downloadable ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. 

    On a mobile device download the Libby app to browse the library's catalog and borrow digital items. 

    TRL branches accept donations in partnership with the local Friends of the Library (FOL) groups. Donations are re-sold by the FOL with proceeds going to support the library. Books in like-new or good condition are gladly accepted. We also welcome DVDs and CDs. We are unable to accept magazines or textbooks.

    Each Friends group has different days/times when they are able to accept donations, and some may have additional restrictions related to quantity or type of material accepted. 

    In order for donated materials to be of use to the Library:

    • Books must be intact. We cannot use materials with yellowed, brittle pages or damaged bindings.
    • Books must have no stains or water damage. We cannot use wet or mildewed items.
    • Books must not have an odor (examples: cigar, cigarette or musty odor).
    • Books must not have notes, highlighting, or underlining in them.

    We recommend contacting staff at your local branch to get the latest information on how to donate. A list of branch locations and contact information can be found on our Locations page here: https://www.trl.org/locations

    Thank you for your interest in donating to TRL!

    Do market research, access resources for writing a business plan, locate grants or learn about entrepreneurship with the tools on our Business, Finance and Legal resources page. 

    Prepare for a professional exam, enroll in online courses, or get help writing a resume using the variety of resources for job seekers on our Test Prep, College and Careers page.

     

    Request an item that is not in our catalog through Suggest a Title. Due to the large volume of suggestions received, we are unable to purchase all requested materials.

    If purchased, a hold for physical materials will be placed for the requester. We are unable to place holds on eBooks and eAudiobooks, so please check Overdrive for your suggested title. Digital material is ordered on or after the publication date.

    Patrons are limited to 10 purchase suggestions per month.

    Items that we will consider for purchase: Books, Music CDs, Audiobooks, DVDs/Blu-Rays, eBooks, eAudiobooks.

    • Items available for purchase now (we do not take pre-publication/release requests).
    • Items with broad interest for library users across the TRL district.
    • Items published/distributed within the last two years (unless they are a part of a series TRL has already started purchasing). Please use the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service, opens a new window for older material.

    Yes! We offer a wide variety of book club kits that can be reserved for your discussion group. Browse our kits, place a hold or check out upcoming book discussions around the library on our Book Clubs page. 

    Timberland Regional Library maintains a Local Authors collection in our physical collection and we welcome additions.

    A local author is a person who lives in the library district's five county service area (Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston Counties) or who has ties to the area that are evident in their work. As a local author, you may either donate copies of your work to your local Timberland library or Suggest a Title to request addition to the collection.

    Either your local library or the librarians in the Collection Services Department will decide whether an author's work is appropriate for the Local Authors collection. For ebooks your title must be available for the library to purchase through OverDrive. This is the library’s only platform for providing and circulating ebooks.

    Timberland has been using outside vendors to sell discarded books, CDs and DVDs for several years. Using a partner, such as Thrift Books, makes financial sense because the items receive better market exposure, are priced by experts in the used book market and no TRL staff time is used beyond placing items in a box for pickup. In return TRL receives a percentage of the sales price.

    Items that may be listed as being in “good” condition on our bookseller's site may have been removed from the collection because of low/no use or outdated content. The library often buys many copies of new books to meet patron demand. Once that demand has been met, the extra copies are discarded and sold to make room for new items. 

    Items are constantly discarded from the collection for a variety of reasons including low or no use, poor condition and outdated content (applies particularly to travel, medical and legal items). TRL adds nearly 140,000 items to the collection every year to meet the needs of library patrons. Since the library buildings cannot grow, some material must be discarded to make room on the shelves. 

    Timberland Regional Library wants to make it easy for you to share books with the youth your organization serves. TRL lends boxes of children or teen books to locations such as apartment complexes, health care agencies, community centers, and after-school programs. No fines. No fees. It's completely free.

    To request a Connect Box:

    1. Get a Library Card, opens a new window with TRL.
    2. Fill out the online request form, or call your local library to reserve a box.
    3. Get notified by phone or email when a Youth Connect Box is ready for pick-up. Boxes can be picked up and returned at any TRL location, including our kiosks.
    4. Ask library staff at the circulation desk for the Youth Connect Box and they will check it out to you.
    5. Check-out is for eight weeks and can be renewed twice for a total of 24 weeks.
    6. No fines. No fees. It's completely free. 

    For more information, please contact your local library.

    Youth Connect Boxes are tubs filled with 25-40 books which are available for loan to community centers, health care agencies, before and after school programs, Head Start locations, preschools, daycare centers, day camps, and anyone who works directly with youth groups. No Fines. No Fees. It's completely free.

    Buy Used TRL Books, DVDs & CDs online at Thrift Books, opens a new window

    Attend Library Friends Used Book Sales - See the online events calendar for dates and times. Additionally, many Friends groups maintain ongoing book sale shelves at Timberland libraries that are available to browse during open hours.