Multnomah County Library
Multnomah County Library is a library district based in Portland (Multnomah County), Oregon, serving a legal service area of 802,464 residents through 19 library buildings. Of all 8,561 systems profiled nationwide, it ranks sixth for physical checkouts.
Among the 122 profiled systems in Oregon, it leads on population served, total visits, operating spending and number of library buildings. Among profiled systems serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents, it ranks second for physical checkouts per resident, fifth for operating spending per resident and tenth for paid staff per resident, but ranks eighth-lowest for program attendance per resident and records the fourth-steepest decline in visits since FY 2019.
Multnomah County against the 61 systems of its size class
Multnomah County since FY 2019
Visits were 51% below the FY 2019 count of 3.6 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 33% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Multnomah County programs
Programs for a general audience drew 100% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 18 people each.
Multnomah County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 1,756,048
- Physical checkouts
- 9,914,424
- Registered users
- 350,602
- Program sessions
- 5,459
- Program attendance
- 100,312
- Print volumes
- 1,505,495
- Audio items (physical)
- 44,515
- Video items (physical)
- 109,136
- Public computers
- 574
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 35,624
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 549.0
- Operating spending
- $97.1 million
- …on books and other materials
- $7.8 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Multnomah County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $101 million, or $126.20 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 122 profiled systems in Oregon. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Multnomah County, building by building
The 15 buildings cover 233,702 square feet in total, 0.29 square feet per resident against a median of 0.45 for the size class. The largest building is Central Library at 125,000 square feet; the smallest is Fairview-Columbia Library at 4,000. The longest hours, 57.3 a week, are shared by three buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Library | Central library | Portland | 54.2 | 125,000 |
| Belmont Library | Branch | Portland | 57.3 | 5,954 |
| Capitol Hill Library | Branch | Portland | 53 | 6,060 |
| Fairview-Columbia Library | Branch | Fairview | 52.7 | 4,000 |
| Gregory Heights Library | Branch | Portland | 53.8 | 5,997 |
| Gresham Library | Branch | Gresham | 57.3 | 20,000 |
| Hillsdale Library | Branch | Portland | 57.2 | 12,000 |
| Hollywood Library | Branch | Portland | 57.3 | 13,000 |
| Kenton Library | Branch | Portland | 53.3 | 6,000 |
| Northwest Library | Branch | Portland | 53.3 | 5,000 |
| Rockwood Library | Branch | Portland | 53.3 | 6,435 |
| Sellwood-Moreland Library | Branch | Portland | 53.3 | 4,375 |
| St. Johns Library | Branch | Portland | 53.3 | 6,381 |
| Troutdale Library | Branch | Troutdale | 53.3 | 6,000 |
| Woodstock Library | Branch | Portland | 53.3 | 7,500 |
Library districts of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, five record more visits per resident than this one. None of them matches this system's checkouts per resident.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Public Library | Indianapolis, IN | 963,251 | 2.47 | 5.73 | $62.55 |
| Saint Louis County Library | St. Louis, MO | 863,407 | 4.08 | 8.33 | $70.90 |
| Mid-Continent Public Library | Independence, MO | 840,292 | 2.96 | 5.99 | $82.29 |
| Sno-Isle Libraries | Marysville, WA | 819,554 | 2.99 | 6.94 | $74.67 |
| Pikes Peak Library District | Colorado Springs, CO | 678,684 | 2.81 | 5.34 | $48.53 |
| Pierce County Library System | Tacoma, WA | 665,760 | 2.15 | 3.86 | $65.13 |
Nearest in size within Oregon
- Jackson County Library Services · Medford · 222,762 residents
- Deschutes Public Library District · Bend · 212,141 residents
- Salem Public Library · Salem · 182,726 residents
- Eugene Public Library · Eugene · 177,339 residents