The longtime director of the Tualatin Public Library resigned in June after a two-year standoff with Washington County over a plan that would strip local librarians of the power to choose what goes on their shelves.

Jerianne Thompson, who spent 15 years at the Tualatin Public Library and eight as its director, said the dispute over a proposed intergovernmental agreement with Washington County Cooperative Library Services had become impossible to sustain.

"It wasn't necessarily my preference to leave the city, but it had gotten to a point where it was untenable for me to continue," Thompson told Tualatin Life. "The situation with the county has gotten really, really complicated."

The centralization initiative, in development since spring 2024, would shift authority over physical library collections from local staff to WCCLS, the countywide system that funds and coordinates libraries in Tigard, Tualatin, Beaverton, and nine other member jurisdictions.

WCCLS has cited "financial savings realized as a result of efficiencies" as a primary driver, according to documents reviewed by Tualatin Life.

Thompson disputes that framing. She said centralizing collection management "does not save money" and "represents additional ongoing costs for Washington County, and therefore the cooperative." Washington County and WCCLS have not publicly responded to Thompson's cost claims.

The Tualatin Public Library holds more than 100,000 items selected by local librarians based on community demand. Thompson said that local curation would erode under the county's plan, costing Tualatin "the connections librarians are able to make with people."

Tualatin's elected officials have been blunt. At the April 23 City Council meeting, Mayor Frank Bubenik called the rollout "crap," saying the county was "putting cities in this predicament because of their bad planning."

At a May 26 meeting, Councilor Bridget Brooks said the timeline felt "neglectful of our community," questioning how councilors could approve a contract when the memorandum of understanding remained unclear.

Mayor Bubenik also said at that meeting that councilors had reached out to Washington County commissioners about increased collaboration, but only two commissioners were open to further discussion.

The existing WCCLS intergovernmental agreement, which names both Tigard and Tualatin as parties, expired June 30. All member cities are now operating under or negotiating a successor agreement that includes the contested centralized collection provision. Libraries in Tigard and Beaverton have also criticized the initiative, according to Tualatin Life, though no specific public statements from Tigard officials have surfaced.

The implementation phase of the centralized collection project is scheduled to run through July 2027. No next meeting date or public comment deadline for the successor agreement has been announced.