A new library agreement has been approved by all three Historic Triangle localities. Here’s what’s changing

HISTORIC TRIANGLE – James City County became the final locality to approve a new regional library agreement designed to broaden the system’s reach in the region and alleviate concerns previously expressed by York County officials.

The City of Williamsburg and York County also agreed to adopt the updated contract earlier this month.

The move follows months of negotiations.

York supervisors declared last June that the county would exit the contract amid frustrations with rising costs and a lack of equal access for their residents. The new agreement, however, resolves those tensions and ensures that all three localities remain part of the system.

Here are the changes residents can expect.

The system will be renamed

The library system will adopt a new name – Greater Williamsburg Regional Library (GWRL) – in an effort to encompass its regional nature. A rebranding process is underway and will be complete once the new contract takes effect.

The system’s original name, Williamsburg Regional Library, dates back to its founding in 1977. At that time, the library functioned as a joint operation between only James City County and the City of Williamsburg. York joined the contract in 1992.

While the library system contract has been amended five times between 1993 and 2013, the latest agreement marks the first time the name has ever been changed.

York County residents will receive full access

Under the new agreement, all York County residents will receive full GWRL library card privileges.

York will no longer contribute to the system based on circulation. Instead, the amount of funding the county contributes will be based on a per capita calculation that factors in the population of upper York County.

Under the prior agreement, York staff estimated that their contribution within the next 10 years would swell to over $2 million annually when the planned two additional branches are factored in.

Additionally, York residents faced a lower cap on the number of materials they could borrow compared to residents of the other two localities under the prior contract.

During year one, the county’s contribution will be higher than it would have been under the old contract, but costs will stabilize and become more sustainable in the long run, according to Supervisor Douglas Holroyd, who represents District 1.

Holroyd said county officials objected to previous policies that limited privileges for York residents and required the county to pay for capital expansions and improvements. The county already operates its own library system, with one branch in Tabb and the other near Yorktown.

The updated agreement, however, resolved the York supervisors’ main sticking points.

“This [contract] fully meets the needs of what this board felt would be a fair and affordable contract with control of the costs in the hands of this board of supervisors,” Holroyd said.

A focus on expanded reach

Residents of any Virginia locality will gain access to borrowing privileges at the Greater Williamsburg Regional Library for an annual fee.

Minor changes will be made to the structure of the library’s board. York County will have one non-voting member. James City County will have seven voting members on the board – an increase from six previously – while the City of Williamsburg will have four voting members.

The changes come at a time of substantial expansion for the library system.

Last month, the Williamsburg City Council approved a plan to construct a new downtown library to replace the current building on Scotland Street, which was originally constructed over 50 years ago.

Plans are also in the works to build another library in James City County alongside the new government center. Both new libraries are expected to be unveiled in 2028.

The updated library system contract is set to take effect on July 1, 2027.