Multnomah County Library is the public library system serving Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. A continuation of the Library Association of Portland, established in 1864, the system now has 19 branches offering books, magazines, DVDs, and computers. It is the largest library system in Oregon, serving a population of 724,680, with more than 425,000 registered borrowers.[1] According to the Public Library Association, it ranks second among U.S. libraries, based on circulation of books and materials, and ranks first among libraries serving fewer than one million residents. In this respect, it is the busiest in the nation.[2]
After Leland H. Wakefield began collecting funds door-to-door in 1863, the Mercantile Library Association was started on January 12, 1864, with subscriptions by Portland's merchant elite.[3] Judge Matthew Deady was one of the early founders, with financial support coming from those such as Henry Corbett, William S. Ladd, and Erasmus D. Shattuck among others.[3] In an attempt to be more inclusive, the name Library Association of Portland was chosen, likely on Judge Deady's suggestion.[3] William Ladd was the elected its first president.[4] The founders proclaimed "the library should forever be kept free of politics."[4]
By March 1864, there were 153 members, who had subscribed $2,500.[4][failed verification]Harvey W. Scott served as the first librarian, part-time, at its first location on Stark Street in Portland.[3] In 1869, the library moved to the Ladd & Tilton Bank Building where it received free rent.[3] Deady was the president from 1874 until 1893, and found that fundraising was "like pulling teeth", calling the local establishment "closefisted narrow visioned millionaires" in 1888, also stating "The rich men of Portland will never do much for [the library] until they die, and maybe not then."[4] The first major bequest came from Stephen Skidmore in 1883.[4][failed verification]
In 1891, a new separate library, the Portland Public Library, was founded by a group that included some former LAP board members.[5] The two libraries merged in 1902.[5]
1893 library building, on Stark Street between 7th and Park. Artist's rendering and first floor plan originally published in the Oregonian, 1893.
Librarian
Stack Room
Ladies Room
Toilet
Newspapers
Corridor
Vestibule
Chess Room
Toilet
Magazines
The library moved to a new two-story stone library building in 1893.[3] The building cost $156,477, representing 27 years of fundraising, mostly by Deady.[4][failed verification][3] A large portion of the funds came from Ella M. Smith, daughter of Benjamin F. Smith, in 1889.[5] The library was staffed by D. F. W. Bursch, the library's first trained librarian, who oversaw the implementation of the Dewey Decimal system.[3] It contained 20,000 volumes.[4][failed verification]
Prior to opening the library for free public access, the board tried to lower subscription costs as often as possible to allow a larger percentage of the general public to have access to the resource.[5] The board debated whether to accept government support, with Deady arguing against, out of concern for the encroachment of political influence, and on the principle that citizens would place more value on something they themselves paid for, even if the payment were small.[5] In 1897, board president George Henry Williams proposed that the librarian be empowered to remove materials deemed to demoralize people and disorganize society," an approach in keeping with common library practice at the time.[5]
Former Gresham branch
The library declined an offer of a $100,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie in 1901, expressing "great pride" in Portland's ability to take care of itself; later, it did accept $105,000 in 1911 and $60,000 in 1912 to build branch locations.[5] The library received nearly 9,000 books in 1900 from the estate of John Wilson; many of these were rare books.[5] However, the bequest called for the books to be available free of charge to the public, thus the board voted to provide library services to the public under government contract.[5] In 1901, the state passed a law to allow governments to tax citizens to pay for libraries; the legislation had been advanced primarily by the newly organized State Federation of Women's Clubs.[5] The city of Portland and the library entered into a contract where the privately owned library continued to own its collection, but the city paid for services, thus creating a free publicly supported library.[5] In January 1901, the library allowed books to circulate for the first time.[5]
The governance and operation of library has a circuitous history. On March 16, 1902, Portland's library became the first free library in the state paid for by taxes.[5] At that time it featured more than 38,000 volumes and 215 periodicals.[5] In 1913, the Library Association of Portland (LAP) built the Central Library in downtown Portland at Tenth Street.[5] They did not use any Carnegie funds for the project, instead financing came from a special two-year tax.[3][5]
From 1901 to 1990, for 89 years the library was a two-rack system. While it was supported by public fund, its management was in the hands of LAP, a private non-profit organization, whose board membership was hereditary, passing from fathers and mothers to sons and daughters. from one generation to the next.
By 1978, ex-officio members joining the 35 member LAP board found out that board meetings were often proforma, while "real decisions" were made by a group meeting in a private club. At the same time, the library systems did not seem to work so well, with branches being closed and open hours cut back.
The situation was legally quite complicated, since LAP owned all the buildings, books, furniture, and equipment. On top of that it had a collection of rare books and valuable art pieces, and an endowment fund. The legal tangle took almost a decade to resolve. On July 1, 1990, the LAP officially transferred ownership of the library buildings and collections to Multnomah County.[6][7]
Branches
The Multnomah County Library operates the Central Library in downtown Portland and 18 branches.
The Central Library in downtown Portland serves as the main branch of the system. The building was designed by architect A. E. Doyle, and opened on September 6, 1913.[8] It was one of the first libraries in the United States to feature an open-plan.[9] The three-story Central Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Central Building, Public Library in 1979.[10] It contains 17 miles (27km) of bookshelf space and has more than 130 computers for the public. The branch contains 125,000 square feet (11,600m2) of space. From 1994 to 1997, the interior of the Central Library was partially gutted and extensively renovated.[1]
Other branches
Midland is the largest of the branch locations with a total of 25,000 square feet (2,300m2) followed by the Gresham location with 20,000 square feet (1,900m2).[1] The Albina, St. Johns and North Portland branches are Carnegie libraries. (There were also four Carnegie libraries no longer part of the system: Arleta, East Portland, the old Gresham Library, and South Portland).[11]
As of FY2010, the system has a total of 486 FTE employees, including 91 librarian FTE.[1] Total annual revenue was just over $62.8 million, with expenditures of $60.5 million.[1] There are more than 425,000 library card holders in the system that serves a population of over 700,000 people, the largest in the state. Multnomah County Library has a total of 1,994,541 books, DVDs, CDs, periodicals, and other library materials.[1] There was a total of 5,799,497 visits in FY2010 with the total circulation of 22,715,292.[1] The library system contains a total of about 700 computer search stations for the public and a combined total of 277,762 square feet (25,804.9m2) of space at all 19 libraries.[1] The library is also a depository for the Federal Depository Library Program.[12]
Matthew Paul Deady was a politician and jurist in the Oregon Territory and the state of Oregon of the United States. He served on the Oregon Supreme Court from 1853 to 1859, at which time he was appointed to the newly created federal court of the state. He served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon in Portland, as the sole Judge until his death in 1893. While on the court he presided over the trial that led to the United States Supreme Court decision of Pennoyer v. Neff concerning personal jurisdiction.
The Huntington Beach Public Library (HBPL) is a library system located in Huntington Beach, California. It offers online databases, print and electronic books and magazines, children's programs, computer lab, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks for anyone with a Huntington Beach Library card. Library cards are free to California residents. Free wireless access is available at all locations without a card.
William Sargent Ladd was an American politician and businessman in Oregon. He twice served as Portland, Oregon's mayor in the 1850s. A native of Vermont, he was a prominent figure in the early development of Portland, and co-founded the first bank in the state in 1859. Ladd also built the first brick building in Portland and was a noted philanthropist. Part of his former estate, the Ladd Carriage House, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Central Library is a three-story public library branch in the downtown core of Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1913, it serves as the main branch of the Multnomah County Library system. In 1979, the Georgian style building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Central Building, Public Library. The library underwent major structural and interior renovations in the mid 1990s. The library also underwent a refresh in 2023.
The East Portland Branch, Public Library of Multnomah County housed part of the library system of Multnomah County, Oregon, from 1911 to 1967. Designed by architect A. E. Doyle, the structure was completed in 1911 in Portland at 1110 Southeast Alder Street in the city's central eastside. Funded in part by the Carnegie Foundation, the original building consisted of one floor and a daylight basement and included reading rooms for children and adults. The building had a red brick exterior, terra-cotta trim, and a roof of green Spanish tiles. Remodeled in 1956 and remodeled again prior to its sale in 1967, the one-story building, which had rooms 18 feet (5.5 m) high, became a two-story office building.
The Gresham Library, also known as the Gresham Regional Library, is a branch of the Multnomah County Library in Gresham in the U.S. state of Oregon. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.
The Hillsdale Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, located in Hillsdale, Portland, Oregon. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials. The original library building at this location opened in 1957 and was replaced by a new building on the same site in 2004. The new library, a green building designed to minimize environmental impacts, has 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of floor space and a storage capacity of 75,000 volumes.
The Hollywood Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library (MCL), in the Hollywood District of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The building, at NE 41st Avenue and Tillamook Street, opened in 2002, and has three residential stories above the library. The previous building, constructed in 1959 at NE 39th Avenue and Hancock Street, was expected to be sold in 2003 to a private party, for its appraised price of $675,000. The branch offers the MCL catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.
The Midland Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.
The Belmont Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, located in Belmont, Portland, Oregon. The original library building opened in 1924 and was expanded in 1937 with the addition of a children's room. The brick building had small round windows and large oak tables. Renovations during 1999–2000 nearly doubled the library's capacity.
The Capitol Hill Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, in the West Portland Park neighborhood of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials. Capitol Hill and the Holgate branch are of a similar design.
The Gregory Heights Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.
The Holgate Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon.
The Kenton Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library (MCL), in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Preceded by reading rooms in North Portland and later by the Lombard Branch Library, the Kenton Library opened in 2010 in a storefront on North Denver Avenue. The branch offers the MCL catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.
The North Portland Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, in Portland, Oregon. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.
The Rockwood Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, located in Portland, Oregon. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials. The library also features a 30-person capacity meeting room for hosting community events at no charge on a first come, first served basis.
The St. Johns Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, in St. Johns, Portland, Oregon. Operating at the same location since 1913, it underwent major renovation in 2000 to upgrade its infrastructure, expand its floor area, and increase its holding capacity to 25,000 volumes. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.
The Portland Public Library (PPL) was a short-lived but influential institution in Portland, Oregon, United States.
Mary Frances Isom was a librarian, and one of the founders of the Oregon Library Association, the Pacific Northwest Library Association and the Oregon State Library Commission. She was instrumental in the formerly private Portland Library Association being opened to the public as what is now the Central Library Building in Portland.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Gunselman, Cheryl. Pioneering Free Library Service for the City, 1864-1902: The Library Association of Portland and the Portland Public Library. Oregon Historical Quarterly, September 22, 2002. Pg. 320 Vol. 103 No. 3 ISSN 0030-4727
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