As of July 1, 2021, a Drop Box at the Cordata Community Food Co-op, as well as 24-hour returns at the Library’s Central, Fairhaven and Barkley Village branches are now open. Library materials may also be returned to any Whatcom County Library System location.
Bellingham Public Library materials can also be returned at a Whatcom County Library System location.
As services shift and change after the pandemic, Bellingham Public Library and Haggen have agreed to permanently close the Library Drop Boxes at the Sehome, Meridian and Barkley Village Haggen stores in Bellingham.
Our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Haggen company for its generosity in funding these highly-utilized Library Drop Boxes, and annual operating support for collecting the materials, as a public service for the Bellingham community for the past 27 years.
The Library Drop Boxes at Haggen stores were closed in March 2020 as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and have not reopened. After the 16-month closure, it has been determined that the current wooden drop boxes are at the end of their lifespan and no longer operable.
The boxes were originally purchased by Haggen in 1994. They were used regularly by thousands of Library patrons and Haggen customers until the March 2020 closure.
Bellingham Public Library will continue to explore options to meet our community needs.