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 View of North Portland Library from Killingsworth; rendering courtesy of LEVER Architecture
By The Skanner News | The Skanner News
Published: 14 January 2025

Celebrating North Portland with the community 

North Portland Library has long been the library home to the Black community in Portland. To recognize its role as a diverse, beloved location, all of the updates are the result of extensive community and staff engagement, with features for the community to enjoy. Additionally, gifts to The Library Foundation supported the creation of an interactive early learning space and a mobile creative learning lab at North Portland Library.

To celebrate the opening of the updated, expanded North Portland, the library is hosting two, fun-filled days of activities for the community on February 8 and 9. Featuring a performance by the Jefferson Dancers, food from local Black-owned businesses and more, there will be plenty to do while exploring the new features of the library. Patrons can stay up-to-date on the library website.

New features include:

  • A Black Cultural Center for connection and a celebration of Blackness.
  • An early learning and play space for children and their families.
  • A large community room for meetings and library programs.
  • Updated wi-fi and technology, including more laptops, iPads and creative software for patron use.
  • A new Automated Materials Handling system, ensuring materials get to patrons much faster.
  • Modern self-checkout stations to provide a better patron experience.
  • A new outdoor deck for community members to relax and connect. 
  • New art that represents the community in partnership with the Regional Arts and Culture Council, including:
    • Art glass panels in the Black Cultural Center based on an original painting by Sadé DuBoise featuring Ghanaian Adinkra symbols
    • Wood carvings by Melanie Stevens which highlight four Black afrofuturist authors: Sun Ra, W.E.B. Du Bois, Octavia Butler and Zora Neale Hurston

Centering the community 

The historic North Portland Library has been a cornerstone of the community, and specifically the Black community, for so long. To amplify the community’s ideas, the library worked with the design team to host focus groups, online public meetings, one-on-one meetings with community members and public surveys. More than 3,500 people were engaged during more than 65 activities. Community members cast more than 1,200 votes for North Portland’s interior color scheme, with the winning theme being deep blue colors inspired by afrofuturism.

Additionally, 27 teens across three cohorts took part in the Youth Opportunity Design Approach, a paid community program for teens. In sessions led by the project architects and youth librarians, teens who use North Portland Library shared what will make them feel welcome and engaged.

To gather broader community input, the design team convened paid affinity focus groups with community members who are a part of Black and African American communities, Indigenous communities, immigrants and refugee, disability communities and Latino communities.

A new Black Cultural Center

North Portland’s Black Cultural Center is extra special: not only is it guided by community input, but it’s the first space of its kind in the entire Multnomah County Library system. The Black Cultural Center provides approximately 900 square feet for connection and cultural events. The design was guided by staff and community input and features interior furniture by Black designers Ini Archibong and Mac Collins as well as new art from local Black artists in collaboration with the Regional Arts and Culture Council. The center also connects to a new outdoor deck, providing a place for patrons to enjoy the outdoors at the library.

Learning and playing in the kids area

The learn and play area has unique furniture developed in tandem with the design team and the Burgeon Group, the premier firm designing, building and installing creative early learning spaces in public libraries. Wild geometric shapes reach to the sky with dozens of interactive pieces to encourage reading, talking, writing, playing and singing.

north portland library int medNorth Portland Library’s Black Cultural Center; rendering courtesy of LEVER Architecture

Places for connection

People can connect much easier at North Portland Library with updated and expanded spaces. This includes the large community room which can be reserved as a meeting room during the day and after hours. 

To increase connection, the technology team has equipped the following rooms in North Portland with new audio/visual equipment:

  • Black Cultural Center
  • Large community room

With more A/V-equipped spaces, the building can accommodate advanced technology needs and collaboration. Anyone who needs to host a presentation in the large community room can utilize state-of-the-art audio and video conferencing when connected to a library-supplied laptop.

Additionally, both the large community room and Black Cultural Center are even more accessible thanks to assistive listening systems which amplify sounds from lectures, presentations, storytimes and events, allowing hard-of-hearing patrons to fully engage with library programs and resources. North Portland offers assisted listening systems via two different methods: a hearing loop built into the flooring of the large community room and a portable offering which includes a microphone for the speaker and a listening device for the audience.

North Portland is yet another library location to introduce Multnomah County’s new fiber network, providing increased internet speeds and bandwidth. The building boasts a strong wi-fi signal throughout the interior and along the exterior perimeter.

Artwork for all

As part of these building projects, each major location gains engaging new artwork thanks to the Multnomah County Percent for Art Program, which is led by the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC). RACC advocates for equity, inclusion and access within the arts and connects artists and creatives to opportunities throughout the region. 

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