‘Community’ Library Coming to Gresham Station

Photos provided by Multnomah County Library

Libraries are far more important now than ever, with the dying amount of so-called “third places” (aside from home and workplace) for people to go to.

While many communities across the country have started reducing funding for, or abandoning, public libraries altogether, Multnomah County is currently working on building a massive new library for all Gresham and East County residents to use.

The new East County Library will be a nearly $150 million investment in the community, and will be located less than 3 miles from MHCC. Construction should quickly advance on the nearly 100,000-square foot behemoth of a building starting early next year.

Here is what we know about the new facility, so far.

This building won’t just be a library, but also a full-fledged community center with an auditorium, communal outdoor space, and ability to offer a whole host of local and cultural events. It’s also being strategically placed closer than ever to the TriMet MAX line and bus lines, allowing more and more people to take advantage of its services.

TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. is fully on board with this project. During the library groundbreaking this autumn he said, “Often, transit is built to take people to existing destinations, but why not work to build those destinations where transit already exists?”

The input of community residents has also been a central focus of choices that have shaped the designation and use of this space.

“It’s going to be a destination… (W)hat this looks like will really be guided by community engagement,” said Liz Sauer, an outreach spokeswoman for the library. While some design choices are still up in the air, so far there are indications I’ve found from the library team of a teen recreation center, a communal kitchen, a “maker space” with a focus on STEM workshops, an audio visual studio, and a display for the arts, all being implemented with public input and available to users and visitors.

Personally, I can’t wait to visit this library once it has opened (completion is planned for the fall of 2025). I firmly believe that libraries are some of the most important buildings to exist, and I know many others agree.

Libraries offer an opportunity for lower-income people to take advantage of free services that might otherwise be unavailable to them, such as computer usage or access to outreach programs in their community. They’re also a prime study and research location for students like us, and can just generally provide a free and safe space for everyone regardless of anything.

A library can be the center of a community, and more than that, it can be a place that establishes a community rather than allowing it to fade away. Libraries are much more than a collection of books: They are the heart of public education and opportunity that we are sadly losing, in many ways.

I’ll be there, and I hope you will be too.

Photo by Ken Perez