Cedar Mill Community Library—35 and still growing!
by Peter Leonard, Cedar Mill Library director
Cedar Mill Community Library is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. When a 7-11 vacated its space on 107th near Cornell in the fall of 1974, community residents came together with the idea of starting a library there. They envisioned a place for the community to gather, to share and to learn. Because we’re not part of a city that might have built a library, residents established the Cedar Mill Community Library Association and began collecting books and raising funds.
When plans to open the 7-11 as a library fell through, local grocer Odus Bales offered space in his Milltowner shopping center (where the testing lab is now) and in January 1976, the Cedar Mill Community Library opened its doors. Washington County began funding public libraries later that year, and from these simple beginnings, the library grew and grew.
As more services were delivered, more funding came from the county, which then led to more services. Staff was hired, books were purchased and the library moved to its current site.
Several expansions over a 25-year period helped meet increasing demand for library service. As population in our area increased, the board of the library association looked towards Bethany as a potential site for a branch. Roy Kim, of Central Bethany Development, offered space for the Bethany Branch Library much like Odus Bales did in 1974.
Using volunteers and donated books, furnishings and cash, Cedar Mill opened the Bethany Branch in 2007 and expanded that branch in 2009. Opening a library facility without city taxing support or bonds is remarkable, but this type of community initiated do-it-yourself effort, relying on volunteers and philanthropic leaders has long been a tradition in the Cedar Mill area. The Bethany library was set up with $120,000 earned by the Second Edition Resale Shop. This works out to less than $30 per square foot compared to the national average cost of starting up a library of $180/square foot.
Cedar Mill and Bethany Libraries continue to grow with annual attendance of 690,000 and loans of 2 million items.
Cedar Mill Community Library
• Is number two in loans of children’s books in the state. Only the 16-branch Multnomah County system tops Cedar Mill’s numbers.
• Is number six in overall loans in Oregon.
• Has more volunteer hours than any library in Oregon except Multnomah County Library. Cedar Mill had 48,000 hours of volunteer service last year—equivalent of 24 full time employees.
• Has a higher percentage of non-tax revenue- (13%) than any other library in Oregon, thanks to Second Edition Resale shop and private donations from Library Association members.
• Is efficient—our cost per circulation is $1.54—that is 40% below the Washington County average of $2.54
One of the key factors in being able to provide library service in unincorporated Cedar Mill is the support of the Washington County Cooperative Library Service. The passage of the local option library levy in November 2006 led to a growth in library service throughout our county. With the security brought by the levy, Cedar Mill was able to serve many more people by opening the Bethany library and improving services at Cedar Mill Library.
Many borrowers are now searching and requesting books from their home computers. This popular service has increased movement of materials between libraries and is changing staffing and space needs. The Circulation area was recently reconfigured to allow 24-hour book return and self-pickup of held books. The library is offering more self-service options for borrowers in keeping with national library and retail trends. Beginning in January, borrowers will be notified by e-mail when their holds are available for pick up. Borrowers can still choose telephone notification if desired.
Research in the library is changing. Reference book use in the library has declined as more people are using computers to access information. Questions now come via e-mail and text as well as phone and in-person. Although computers change the way information is accessed, reading of books and print is still a primary emphasis of the library. Book lending continues to increase even as users borrow DVDs, or download audio books and videos through the WCCLS catalog.
Cedar Mill has been updating older computers. Thanks to support from the Gates Foundation, the average age of computers in the library improved from six to two years. Another grant for a laptop computer-training lab allows the library to teach people how to access e-mail, search the web and use digital cameras.
The library is the only place in our community that offers free access to computers and free training. This is a lifeline for many people such as job hunters who need to search and apply for jobs online. It’s also a great way for seniors to get started and stay in touch with families and friends. Our libraries now offer free high-speed wireless access to anyone with a library card.
In a typical week, Cedar Mill and Bethany have 14 story times for 0-5 year olds. Developing the next generation of readers is one of our most important services. Cedar Mill actively works with local day care providers and home child-care workers to get the early literacy message out to families who may have challenges getting to the library.
The biggest long-term challenge for the library is space. Library standards recommend space of 42,000 square feet for a community of our size. Existing library space of 29,000 square feet limits meeting room space, reader seating, shelving and computer space. The library board of directors is looking at ways of meeting these needs, but without taxing authority, it will be necessary to raise the money from voluntary contributions.
Prior to embarking on this type of expansion, the Washington County local option library levy needs to be renewed in November 2010. Since the levy accounts for one third of Cedar Mill funding, future library plans depend on renewing the levy.
The long term success and strength of the library depends on the involvement of the community. We can’t rely on a city to provide a library for our area but our community has shown that they can make the kind of library they want. To learn how to get involved, check out the library website www.cedarmill.org/library
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