Timberland Regional Library (TRL) provides library services to the residents of five counties in Southwest Washington State: Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston Counties. TRL is an Intercounty Rural Library District and is funded by property taxes and revenue from timber sales in the 5-county area.

In the late 1960's the Washington State Library Commission initiated a demonstration project to improve library services in Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties in response to requests from the counties' residents. Through this cooperative effort, library services were consolidated to create a more efficient and economical regional operation, to increase the size of the library collections and to provide service for the first time in several rural communities.

Citizens voted in November, 1968 to unite the five counties into one library district, the Timberland Regional Library (TRL). TRL services started in 21 libraries with Becky Morrison as the first Executive Director. Since 1968, TRL has provided information, reading and lifelong learning services at 27 libraries and 7 library service partner locations by offering nearly 1.7 million items to more than 400,000 people. The library system is funded mainly by local property taxes with additional income from timber sales taxes.

Not only were community libraries added when opportunities and dollars permitted, but the library has proactively introduced state-of-the-art electronic services in order to provide residents with the best available library service; to provide access to all, regardless of physical limitations or geographic location; and to increase the potential of success for everyone in the system’s five counties.