Change is hard for some Multnomah County library lovers

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Bob Priest is a music professional who often uses research materials from the Central Library in downtown Portland. But since its renovation, Priest said the renovations moved material to spots where it may take a few days to get.

And that, Priest said, takes the spontaneity out of the research that got he and his fellow musicians where they are today.

“We’re of an older generation, so we’re not used to e-books or e-scores in the way people are today,” he told KOIN 6 News. “But for me it’s absolutely critical to be able to hold, to see it, to have the option to find things that I don’t know about.”

Photos: Central Library opens again after renovations

Musician Bruce Charles, another avid library user, is also not very happy.

“They brought in the dreaded half-shelves<” Charles said. “You need a knee replacement to get down there.”

He said these changes have hindered his library experience because nearly half of the music material was removed from the public-facing shelves.

“You’re filling out forms you used to find on the shelves,” he said.

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Part of the renovation efforts at Central Library and other Multnomah County branches was for safety reasons. For safety, many of the shelves at Central Library are half the size of what they used to be, which moved a lot of material to storage either on site or in East Portland.

Some of the changes also took out study desks, replacing them with reading chairs and computer desks.

“There is still over 220,000 collection items on the shelves at Central right now,” said Liz Sauer with Multnomah County Library. “But folks have things at their fingertips that they can get in a matter of days now.”

Voters approved library renovations in 2020, including larger library spaces in places like Holgate, which will open later this summer.

“It’s really kind of a transformation,” Sauer said. “We’re modernizing all of the library spaces.”

In December 2023, the Multnomah County Auditors office found more than half of the staff reported feeling unsafe working at the library. They encountered drug use, nudity, harassment and weapon threats. More than half of the incidents came at the Central Library.

This past weekend, the Central Libray was closed due to staffing issues. The Gresham library was on door-service only as staffing shortages curtailed its ability to fully open.

Avid library users like Bob Priest and Bruce Charles hope more material will be brought back, but they recognize bigger solutions are needed.

“Isn’t this a larger societal problem that has to be addressed in ways that far exceed lowering the heights of the sheves in the library?” Charles said.

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