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Library Stories
Do you have a brief story about how Multnomah County Library has changed your life? We'd love to hear it. Tell us your story!
My two children, age 2 and 3 ¾, are both avid readers even without the Summer Reading program. They can’t read in the conventional sense, but they love nothing more than being read to, and often spend long periods of time looking through books on their own, and reading them to each other. So, why do I feel so strongly about the positive impact of the Summer Reading program on our family if the kids already love to read? Because rather than seeing the library in the usual ways (a place to go find new books to borrow, a place to find a book about something they have questions about, a place with a cool slot to push books through when “our turn” is over), they see that here someone in the larger world cares about what they are reading, what they are interested in. They notice other kids coming in to get prizes too. They notice other kids being rewarded for what they are reading, what they are interested in. We so often think of reading as a private, quiet, isolated pastime! By helping kids connect reading with the excitement of a challenge, a game, and yes, a prize, you are helping to connect them to their community through reading.
Anonymous
Library: Hollywood
I love the library. It's a great place where you can read books, go on the internet, or do crafts on special days. And guess what: so long as you don't run up fines, it's all free! You can check out pretty much any book, movie, or CD ... and it costs nothing! The librians rock, just like everything about the library. It even has a Summer Reading program, which I am volunteering for. The library rocks!
Amy
Library: St. Johns
I go to the St. Johns Library, and it's like a second home to me. I go there practically everyday, and sometimes even twice a day. It has practically all the books and movies I could look for. Every single year that I could remember I've done Summer Reading, and this year I'm volunteering to help with Summer Reading.
The library rocks!!!
Marie (12 years old)
Library: St. Johns
Dearest Belmont Branch Library,
I have lain awake many sleepless nights trying to conjure up words that might adequately describe the feelings of my heart. But every time I have made the attempt, I have failed miserably. Please forgive my poor effort and accept a trite and simple phrase: I love you.
I recall my first visits to you, 2 year old in tow, belly swollen with crazy monster #2. Your heavy front doors would swing open so obligingly at the touch of a button, the air conditioning cooling the sweat from my fevered brow. I knew then that this love was reciprocal. But still I was not ready to melt the frost from my heart. Too many libraries in the past had attempted to seduce me with fragile promises of literary bliss, only to dash my dreams with irregular hours and indifferent librarians. You were the Mr. Darcy to my Elizabeth Bennett. Prickly and yet so perfect for each other.
When you were closed for renovations I felt as though my heart were being ripped out. Yes, I could go to storytime at the Hollywood branch, but it was cold, sterile, full of strangers. I longed for your familiar touch.
But you have won me over, body and soul. When I bring my son in for the "Read to the Dogs" program, I know this is not just puppy love. Wally the dog, you do not fool me while pretending to sleep through the "Star Wars Pop Up Book," I know your canine heart pants for one more story.
Just when I thought my heart would burst from fullness, your "Summer Reading Program" opened its’ arms to a shy 10 year old volunteer. His shaggy blond hair obscuring any possibility of eye contact, yet his weekly 2 hour presence confirmed his mumbly devotion. This year I offer to you 2 volunteers, to sign up readers, rubber stamp gameboards and hand out prizes and T shirts.
Without you I am incomplete. What would I read? How could I live without the hypnotic caress of the perfect audio book, soothing the crushing boredom of housework. The stacks of crisp Manga to entice my 12 year old into a relaxing stupor. And "Star Trek" DVD sets, how could I exist without the geeky splendor of "Star Trek?!"
It not just the thousands of dollars you have saved me in video/ DVD rentals and book purchases. It is the non-judgmental love that flows between us. I love you Belmont branch library, I love you. Never leave me again.
Fall in love with your library, it’s the easiest relationship you’ll ever have.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
Library: Belmont
Restraint at the Library
(Capitol Hill Library)
I came to smell the new rug, to remember the patina of old shelves
And August light filtering through oak leaves into the children's library.
As a kid, I determined to win a summer prize
By reading so many books that my paper airplane
Would fly to the warped ceiling above the librarian's desk.
The librarians steered me to classics and horse books.
Now computers order our books and check us out with barcodes.
Email special deliveries announce, "Your book is in."
Today I browsed and smelled the library,
Looking for the remembered smells of shelves and old pages.
The choices...I'm stunned at spectrums
from coin collecting to Chinese calligraphy,
haiku to holocaust,
drumming to Darfur,
topographies and titillations,
from Paris to petunias.
(Want to travel that road with me?)
biographies of heroes and hip hoppers,
Anthologies of nonsense rhymes and pirate girls,
fairies and dollhouses
(You knew I'd linger there).
There were five books on guilt.
Many, many more on forgiveness.
The internet station caught me -- 60 minutes of free time
(isn’t time always free in some sense?)
I clickety-clacked an email to you, at home,
Working hard to get to hardly work.
(Why in the world of historical librarian shush mantras
are the keyboards here louder than anywhere else on earth?)
I miss you.
I'll look under L.
There are thousands of stories
about love and lust and luck and loss.
Tricia Knoll
Library: Capitol Hill
I am disabled with severe rheumatoid arthritis and am unable to leave my home. I discovered the online card catalog and my whole life changed. Now, I can place any book on hold and have my husband pick up and return books for me on his way either to or from work. With a son stationed in Iraq with the 3/2SBCT out of Fort Lewis, having access to so many books helps me cope with the constant worry for his and his fellow soldiers safety. I feel that through the online services offered by the Multnomah County Library system my sanity and independence has been returned to me. Thank you!
Tamara Moody
Library: Capitol Hill
As a young girl, I received a white Easter purse to match my dress each year. The only possession in it was my OWN library card. My Easter outfit was my NEW clothing for the year, as most of my shoes and clothing were hand-me-downs from older cousins. I valued my purse with my valuable card.
My father valued reading. We would make a weekly trip via bus to the Central library after we moved to the Portland area when I was 5. He would drop me off in the children's section while he carried my 2 younger brothers up the stairs to get the books he wanted. I would be able to check out as many books as I thought I could carry in my bag (as a 5 yr old--not too many, later as a 7 year old I was able to get up to 10), usually I carried about 5 books. I remember sitting and pondering the great decision of which book to take this time. The wonderful librarians taught me that ALL libraries are basically the same--once you know where FICTION starts and NONFICTION starts. That knowledge saved a child who moved frequently in her early years. I could find "friends" where ever I moved.
I remember walking on top of the cement fence. The large white stairs that echoed hushed voices down the stairwell. The smiles of the ladies that worked there. The feeling of "being safe" and among "friends".
I am currently a middle school librarian in Albany. The lessons stuck. The library is a place of peace, learning, and "friends". Our future deserves all the wonderful benefits of having a place to ponder the question of which "friend" to take next. Even if it is in the form of an e-book, a picture book, a novel or a moving (video) book. What new friend or dream will you find on your next visit?
JaKay Greer
Library: Central
To the Multnomah County Library
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My arms can reach, when books are out of sight
Except for trusty stepstools’ saving grace.
I borrow thine infinite treasure for every day's
Most quiet need, by lamp and candlelight.
I love thee freely, my taxes seem so light;
Thy kind librarians merit highest praise.
I love thee with the passion of long use;
From youth to middle age we’ve kept the faith.
Those times I paid a fine for a book I’d lose
You bought another! I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life - and when I choose,
My will can support thee better after death.
(And thank you for Elizabeth Barrett Browning, too.)
Lin Harmon
Library: Hillsdale
I have two stories about Multnomah County Library. The first dates back to the olden days - during the late 1950's. Every Saturday my mother would load up the big station wagon with her five children ranging in age from 13 to 6 and head for the Woodstock Library. Back then the library was located across Woodstock Street from Bi-Mart in a little store front. The rule was that you could only check out five books per person. Looking back now I am thankful for the patience of the librarians and the patience of my mother.
My other story is of the day I came to the Main Library looking for gardening books - I was going to redo my whole yard. I received some great advice from some wonderful librarians - enjoy YOUR yard. Plant what you want where you want and if you don't like it later change it. Most plants are wonderfully resilient. I ended up leaving with only two books rather then the whole stackful I had planned for.
Sally Karlin
Library: Hollywood
It was 2001 and I had taken the train from Seattle to visit my boyfriend. After picking me up from the train station, he insisted that we stop by the downtown library so he could pick up a book. We climbed the stairs, up, up, up until we reached the top landing. There, with patrons walking all around us, he dropped to his knees and asked me to marry him.
I said yes.
Joy Oliver
Library: Central
I was born and raised in Portland, have lived here all my life. As a child growing up in the 1960's, one of the special treats we looked forward to in the summertime was making a trip as a family downtown to visit the Central Library. Dad and us kids, youngest to oldest, would head off to our separate areas of interest, each emerging with an armload of books to take home. I remember going upstairs to the music room to listen to records in a private glassed-in room. I loved the challenge of looking for a book title in the old card catalogs on the second floor, then "hunting it down" and finding it amongst the myriad of rooms and library shelves. It was an event, a place to hang out and have fun that was free--very helpful to the budget of a young family.
More than 40 years have gone by and I have used and enjoyed the library resources in every stage of my life. Such a rich variety of resources available to everyone!! Multnomah County Library is an incredibly well-run system, well worth our tax dollars. I just hope that everyone that takes materials from the library can really appreciate how lucky we are to have such a system.
Anonymous
Library: Rockwood
Doing community service at the Library has definitely changed my life. I've not only learn lots of things about other people, but I've also learned a lot about myself. I help out on Tuesdays in the computer lab. I've work with all kinds of people. I've help them fill out on-line job applications, I've also helped them become familiar with the computer and the internet. It's the most fullfilling experience ever. Knowing that you are doing something that benefits people in the community is one of the most incredible feeling you can get. I've learned to be patient and to know that not everyone learns or thinks the same way. But most important of all I have learned that even a teenage girl like me can make a difference and that motivates me to do greater things that would not only be helpful for me but also for people in the community.
Sandra Castellón
Library: Gresham
I love the Multnomah County Library. If I had two favorite things (there are so many) they would be the caring and accessibility to the public. When funds are on the low end, the library always does a survey to see when the best times to be open would be. And then they are open then! They don't just automatically, say, "close on Monday (or Sunday)." This is so nice!
The other thing is the Song Catalog. I play the guitar and sing. Usually I can figure out a song. If not, I try to get it on a tape, record, or CD. If I can't figure it out that way, I ask the Telephone Reference Librarian to look for the original version of the song — which usually is pre–1940. I ask for all copies the library has, to be ready for me to view up in the Music Library. Then, I come in, and find the one that works best for me. This almost always completes my search for learning the song I crave!
One more thing — I can no longer carry loads of books. I now am able to get my books by mail, for disabled people.
Marian Drake
Library: Central Library
I can't count the number of trips I made to the now–closed University Park Branch library as a kid. Mrs. Stark, the librarian there during the late 60's and early 70's, was probably the most patient woman on the face of the earth, once even allowing a group of 5th and 6th grade girls to stage a play there. (All we did was giggle and argue.) To this day my mother quotes Mrs. Stark, who once told her to "never deny that child a book". This is probably part of the reason that my 10–year–old son owns so many books!
The University Park building is now part of the campus of the church next door to it, and this spring I had the opportunity to once again rehearse a play there. (No arguing this time, but still lots of giggling.) It is smaller than I remember, but the walls are lined with bookshelves, and I found myself quoting Mrs. Stark to the other actress–moms there: never deny your child a book. Thank you, Mrs. Stark, for advice I know I'll never forget.
Debbie Larsen-Walker
Library: St. Johns
I walked to the growing up, checking out as many books as I could carry. My parents wisely taught me to pay my own fines, which I have continued to do. I have always supported the library to the tune of $20-$50 a year. All it takes is an illness or a vacation with one or two books hidden from sight and bam! I'm whipping out my checkbook to check out...
They know me and my family by name at the Midland branch. One of the librarians used to enjoy bringing my library card up on the computer before I could dig it out of my purse! Homeschooling my children when they were young involved at least one trip to the library each week and often more! The rule has always been that they may check out as much as they can carry! We keep a canvas bag on the pantry door in the kitchen and the kids are encouraged to drop the books into the bag as they finish them, so that when it's time to go to the library, we just grab the bag and drop off everything in it and recheck out anything we missed, if possible...
Ginger Clausen
Library: Midland
We first moved to the Hollywood area when I was nearly four and I remember almost immediately after moving in going to the Hollywood branch (then in its old location) and getting a library card of my very own, my name printed in my father's capital letters.
Throughout the years the materials varied greatly, beginning with nature films and picture books to elementary chapter books as well as book on tapes which I would listen to over and over again including while I did my homework in second and third grade.
It has proved a wonderful resource for reports, as well as flights of fancy. And this was made easier by the friendly, helpful staff that helped me overcome my anxiety and allowed me to check out books when I had misplaced my library card. This problem was solved as I easily rattled off the long string of numbers of my patron barcode from memory.
Now, I plan on completing the Dove Lewis Therapy Dog program and participating with my corgi in 'Read for the Dogs'.
Annie K.
Library: Hollywood
I think that everyone should know about Belmont Library because it is great! it is not huge and once you have gone there more than once you know exactly where you would need to go to get the book. The people are nice and they remember you when you come back if you are a frequent visitor. I also love how it is open until 8:00 at night and is open more days of the week than most libraries. If all libraries could stay open that much it would be wonderful. I always like going into the Belmont Library because it is not dead silent, it is welcoming and warm. It's also great because every time I need something for an essay or report I pretty much KNOW that it will be there! Libraries are my friends! Belmont (as far as I am concerned) is the best.
Addie Flora
Library: Belmont
Since I was a child I've always visited the St. Johns Library, doing research or taking a basketball book home after school.
I've checked out one of my favorite books: Night Hoops. Which is about a boy who does nothing but play basketball and he has to compete with another boy to show who's better. I like this book because I play basketball a lot and there is a lot of competition out there, so I have to work my hardest to be the best.
The St. John's library has helped me a lot with school. At my high school our library wasn't open after school so it was difficult to do my work after school much faster. So because of this I had to go to the library which gave me more search opportunities which got me extra points on my school projects.
I hope this library will still be around to give help and support our neighborhood and still be a place where my children's children can go.
Victoria Coakley
Library: St. Johns
One of the best parts of working in a public library is getting to know our regular customers. It's always fun to shoot the breeze, chat about books, and see how the library provides such a positive influence in the lives of so many. I know without a doubt my own life would have been very different without it.
I grew up in Portland in the early 1970s, the youngest daughter in a large immigrant family. We weren't exactly wealthy--we didn't have the best house on the block, and we didn't have the best car. Our clothes were either homemade or had been handed down one too many times (for my taste, at least!). We didn't take exotic vacations every summer like so many of my friends. But we did have one saving grace, and that was our local public library.
Thank goodness for our weekly library trips! Every Thursday night (my father's only day off), we would pile into our car and drive to our local library. There, my siblings and I went through the place like locusts, checking out books to our hearts' content. Personally, I loved the art and craft books and managed to teach myself how to crochet and knit by the time I was 10. But that's not all I learned. I also learned to love reading and improved my reading level several grades. (Not bad for a child of immigrants!) I learned responsibility and the importance of returning my books on time. I learned that whatever questions I had or subjects I wanted to explore, the library was there with the answers and resources. Throughout the years, the library has helped me research colleges and scholarships, learn to cook, grow vegetables, fix leaky faucets, learn languages and so much more. The library is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
These days, I'm on the other side of the desk, helping others. And I like to make sure everybody's library experiences are just as valuable to them as mine are to me.
May Dea
Library: Hollywood
Some people don't feel quite comfortable until the kitchen is clean, the lawn mowed, or the checkbook is balanced. For myself, I can not rest easy unless my library card has 15 items reserved on it at all times.
This bibliophilia leads to reading, and reading leads to ideas. Because of my library card (and a healthy measure of good luck), I have had three books published. But I know full well that not one of those books would have been possible without the library's resources. In fact, the wealth of material and the guidance of library professionals has often made researching a genuine pleasure.
My fondness for our county libraries manifests itself in a devotion to the various branches: The dignity of Hillsdale, the sanctuary that Midland provides, the majesty of Central, and the modesty of Albina. But while each branch has its own unique charms, Hollywood will always be first and foremost in my heart. (After all, I got free cookies there tonight at a community workshop.)
Bart King
Library: Hollywood
I have an auto immune disease. What this means is that I can't leave the house by myself and I can't do very much. I spend a lot of time in bed and there are only a few of activities I can still do. But my love of reading has sustained me. Since I can't work I don't have money so the library has become a huge resource for me. I can put several books on hold at once and send my mom to get them for me or pick them up when I have a doctor's appointment. In other's stories I can escape my illness and experience theirs for a while. Thank you so much for your online catalog; without it, my life would be much less thrilling.
Anonymous
Library: Hollywood
Nothing, but nothing, surpassed my hours perusing the Bookmobile as a child. A voracious reader, the smell of the dusty volumes mixed with a hint of diesel made me quiver....
However, a the third of four children, I was a bit shy..."The Lost Child" those into family dynamics would label me. I couldn't read aloud well, for fear of embarrassment....
One year, I believe I was seven, my teacher wrote on my report card, "Your daughter would benefit from having a library card."
My mother vehemently penned, "She has her own library card, and uses it!"
Now as a writer, I continue to use that precious card, though, waxing nostalgic, I don't know if I prefer paper or plastic. I still have some hesitation when I read aloud (unless it's to my grandchildren).
Lindsey Morrison Grant
Library: North Portland
Everytime I walk into a branch of the multnomah county library I think what a wealth of knowledge I have a free opportunity to learn from. I work at a public radio station and I have counted on the library numerous times to provide music and biographic information for programming and promotions on my employer's airwaves.
The ability to search and order what I'm looking for online has been a lifesaver to me on several occasions.
Plus, everytime I visit the library I find something else to satisfy my curious nature about the world I live in. The library is one of my favorite places to visit, I take advantage of what the library has to offer numerous times every month. There is so much information I would have no financial access to if it weren't for the libary.
Mary Burlingame
Library: Gresham
I work as a physician. You might think that means I am a good reader; well it doesn't. My reading has always been slow and difficult. If not for the Multnomah County's EXCELLENT supply of audio books, I would be ignorant of a world of knowledge and literature that is opened up with audio books. Thank you, Multnomah County Library.
J. Chris Anderson, MD
Library: Belmont
I am a mother that home schools my 8 children. The library is full of excellent resources such as books, DVDs, videos, books-on-tape, magazines, etc... that I'm able to incorporate into my lesson plans regularly. The online catalog is very comprehensive and convenient. I simply reserve the materials I need and a phone call to my home lets me know when they become available. Best of all, this is of no extra cost to me. My children could not receive the best education possible from me without my public library! Thank you!!
Michelle Anthony
Library: Gresham
I use the library every week for fun and education, but I'm most grateful for the library's help i becoming a Spanish medical interpreter. Over the last year, I've borrowed language learning cassettes and Spanish language movies, books, and books on tape to improve my Spanish. I couldn't have afforded buying all these materials, or paying for classes instead. This month I passed my exams! Now I have a valuable new job skill and can help hundreds of patients communicate and get the health care they need. Thanks so much!
Anonymous
Library: Belmont
The Multnomah County Library system is so efficient at getting books to us through the hold system! I now live in New York, and though there were only a few people waiting in line ahead of me, it took me eight months to get some of the books I requested. Now I have to buy a book if I want to read it in any timely fashion. The Multnomah Library saved me so much money, it was surely worth far more than the taxes I paid toward it.
Sarah Standish
I didn't understand the magic of public libraries until I became a parent. For me, libraries had always been about quiet introspection and academic solace. And then I had children. The library of my children's youth is all about community, activities, and exploration.
One of my favorite memories is when my older daughter Madeline, then 3 years old, wanted to have a "Paris Day" at the library. She woke up one morning and asked me if the "librarier" (librarian) would have any books about Paris. I was stunned. It didn't surprise me that she wanted to go to the library; with two "storytime" aged children, we spend a lot of time at the Sellwood and Woodstock branches (for our regular weekly trips) and the magnificent Central Library (when I am feeling more energetic). But our library trips always have a vaguely frantic, shopping spree feel about them. We rush into storytimes with our coats half off and the girls grab their weekly reading selections based on color and bulk rather than content. My younger daughter, Gracie, has a savant-like ability to find the most extraordinary books as she scales the sides of the shelves. But this was something different. This was Madeline's nascent desire to obtain more information to satisfy her intellectual curiosity. This was a quest.
For this type of odyssey, only the Central Library would do. Entering Portland's downtown library always makes me catch my breath. It is a grand institution. Madeline marched with purpose through the lovely foyer and posed her question to the Children's reference librarian. Together, they found wonderful books about Linea in Monet's Garden, Eloise, a Parisian Cat, and, of course, Madeline. Our excursion was a success.
With this moment of wonder, and so many others, the public libraries won me over.
Lainie Ettinger
Library: Sellwood-Moreland
LIBRARY BOOKS
(A Poem)
One day I realized
our house could contain
not one more book.
We have books everywhere:
bookcases are full
most shelves double-stacked
a hard way to find a book.
There are bookcases in closets,
three cases in the garage.
Time to do something really creative.
Borrow books from our Public Library!
no need to store books
just order them via computer
Drive to the Library
bring them home,
someone at the Library
sends you an e-mail when
book is ready.
There is one drawback:
some readers fold
page's corners over.
There are other better choices
on how to mark a page
one wants to remember:
There are bookmarks, scraps
of paper, Post-its, magnetic clips,
and anything else that's thin:
like six-inch plastic or metal rulers.
Most never take time to
unfold the corners or jot down
the definition of a word
you've never seen before.
Edwin Jacques
Library: Rockwood
We moved to Portland when I was three years old, in 1949, so that my dad could teach at Reed College. My mother used to walk me and my baby sister up to the Woodstock Branch, which was then in a storefront heated by a wood stove, for story time. I also got to help pick out some picture books to check out for our bedtime story hour at home.
I loved these visits, and, to this day, "use" a trip to the library--now Hillsdale, Capitol Hill, or occasionally Sellwood Branches--as a refreshing and fulfilling break as the busy mom of a teenager.
Diane L. Bleything
Library: Hillsdale
My husband and I have renewed our love of books through the Multnomah County Library. I have not had a library card for over 25 years due to career and living in another city. Coming back to the Multnomah County Library was like coming home.
When I was in grade school, the Woodstock library was my sanctuary. Since the Library is currently using the latest computer technology, we now go on-line, find what we are looking for, place it on hold and go to the Albina library, where the staff are all so friendly. What a joy to be back in the world of knowledge at the Multnomah County Library!
Debbie Engel
Library: Albina
Since becoming a "self-taught" reader at the age of 5 (a "few" years back - OK - quite a few decades back!) a big part of my life has been reading. But with my job, family and outside interests, reading is one of the things that has taken a back seat. Until one of my biggest time burners came along five years ago: my daily 2-hour round trip commute. That's the bad news (well - the price of gas is probably the really bad news) but the GOOD news is that with books on tape, I've read countless books in the last five years! I've "read" everything from classics to whatever strikes my fancy on the shelf at the time. I usually keep my eyes and ears open for books that sound interesting and reserve them in advance. And . . . I've usually got a "paper" book going, too! Thank you Library!
Nancy Dickinson
Library: Midland
My family moved to Portland from Seattle in 1956. One of the first things we did was visit the "big" library downtown, get library cards, and as many books as we could carry home on the bus with our mother. Robby and I were intrigued by the beautiful, grand staircase that even then graced the library. We were so taken with it that we staged dramatic scenes, raced up and down its slick surfaces, and became increasingly rowdy; we were finally asked to leave and escorted out of the building, a shame-faced and very annoyed mother holding each of us by an arm. The funny thing is, both my sister Robin, and I became librarians; she in academics and me as a medical librarian.
Libraries have always held a special place in our hearts, providing playgrounds for the imagination, and sometimes even a real stage for little girls to float down a marble stairway.
Madelyn Priebe Hall
Library: Capitol Hill
As a child attending James John Elementary School across from the St. Johns Branch of the Library I read my way through that branch. Then my mother took me to the University Park Branch and then to the Lombard Branch and sometimes to the North Portland Branch. I became such a regular user that just before my 16th birthday I was asked to work for the library at the St. Johns Branch. I worked there for two years and transferred to the Central Library, checking in books, for two years. I am now a Family Learning Coordinator for the San Jose Public Library. I have spent most of my life working in libraries in many different areas and places. Reading, books and libraries are my passion and I could not have found a better career than the one I started at the St. Johns Branch of the Multnomah County Library.
Sharon Snow