Five KRL branches to offer Sunday hours

Last November’s levy lid lift is funding extra staffing, maintenance and new computers.

BREMERTON — If you have a hankering to cozy up on a lazy Sunday with a book at a Kitsap Regional Library branch, your desire can soon become fulfilled.

Beginning May 6, branch libraries in Port Orchard, Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Silverdale and Sylvan Way will open their doors from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. They’ve been closed Sundays since 2011.

The extra hours on the weekend are as a result of approval by Kitsap County voters of a levy lid-lifting measure last November. With the extra funding, the library system also is updating technology and taking on necessary maintenance projects, library officials said.

The levy lift is adding about $3.4 million to the Kitsap Regional Library budget this year. The money will pay for additional staffing for the new Sunday hours and fund a two-percent cost of living increase for employees. Building maintenance also is being performed on the Poulsbo library building.

Also being funded is the purchase of 140 computers that include Microsoft Office software, and a systemwide subscription to Lynda.com, a web-based teaching and instruction internet site.