NCRL gets new name

WENATCHEE — The North Central Regional Library system announced in a press release this week that it will be changing its name to North Central Washington Libraries. The name change is part of a broader plan to improve and promote the library system.

North Central Regional Library (NCRL) was first established on Jan. 19, 1961. The name was adopted from the Chelan County library system, which was being replaced by a new library system of which Chelan County would be a part. But after 58 years, the name that made sense at the time of its adoption no longer makes sense.

In March, the board of trustees for the NCRL voted to change the name to something that better describes the library’s location – North Central Washington Libraries. The hope is that it will help community members to have a better understanding of all that the library system has to offer.

The name change is just part of a three-year plan that NCRL has adopted to help promote more active library use. The board of trustees approved a plan to embrace innovation and curiosity, enhance user experience, actively listen and respond, cultivate community partnerships and strengthen organizational health.

The NCRL plans to conduct assessments of its 30 library facilities to see what needs to be improved and help each library develop and implement changes. They also hope to increase bilingual use of the library.

The name change for the library will take place between now and 2020.

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at rpinkerton@suntribunenews.com.