Hood River County Library District
🏢 Hood River County Library District · Hood River, Oregon
Hood River County Library District
Built in 1913 with a $17,500 Carnegie grant and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998, the Hood River County Library District occupies a Jacobethan brick building surrounded by the Georgiana Smith Memorial Gardens — one of Oregon's most architecturally distinctive small-town library settings, with a Peace Pole, a Legacy Stone honoring civil rights champion Minoru Yasui, and murals depicting the Hood River Valley through the seasons.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 10am–7pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–7pm |
| Thursday | 10am–7pm |
| Friday | 10am–6pm |
| Saturday | 10am–6pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 502 State St, Hood River, OR 97031
Phone: (541) 386-2535
Website: hoodriverlibrary.org
Plus Code: 84QWPF5M+7R (Hood River, OR)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Hood River County Library District
The Hood River County Library District serves Hood River County in the Columbia River Gorge from its landmark 1913 Carnegie building at 502 State Street. The library's origins trace to the 1880s, when community leader Georgiana Smith fundraised by selling ice cream at Fourth of July celebrations. Her efforts secured a $17,500 Carnegie Foundation grant, and the library opened its doors on September 13, 1913, designed by architects Sutton and Whitney with L.A. Woodward in the Jacobethan style. In 1935 Smith's daughters donated surrounding land to create the Georgiana Smith Memorial Gardens. The building and park were added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1998. In 2010 Hood River County voters established the library as an independent special district with dedicated property tax funding. The district now operates three branches — Hood River (main), Parkdale and Cascade Locks — and partners with the SAGE catalog consortium shared among eastern and central Oregon libraries.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Opened September 13, 1913 — Carnegie-funded Jacobethan brick building at 502 State Street, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1998)
- Georgiana Smith Memorial Gardens surround the building, featuring a Peace Pole, a Stoniferous Pine cairn and a Legacy Stone honoring WWII civil-rights champion Minoru Yasui
- Children's library murals by artist Mark Nilsson (2016) depicting the Hood River Valley through the four seasons
- Three-branch district: Hood River main, Parkdale and Cascade Locks — serving the full Columbia River Gorge county
- Library of Things collection, makerspace, and cultural passes available to cardholders
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Hood River County cardholders borrow, stream and research free through Oregon's statewide and SAGE digital collections:
📚 Services
- Public computers, printing, free Wi-Fi and scanning
- Makerspace with creative tools and equipment
- Library of Things: borrow specialty items alongside books
- Cultural passes to local museums and attractions
- Meeting room reservations for community groups
- History and genealogy resources
- Bookmobile serving rural Hood River County
- Catalog shared through SAGE (eastern/central Oregon library consortium)
🎸 Programs
- Kids, teen and adult programming in English and Spanish
- Bookmobile visits to rural communities
- Poetry Walk at Indian Creek Trail
- Community events, workshops and author programs
- Summer reading program for all ages
📍 Nearby Libraries in the Columbia Gorge & Willamette Valley
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Hood River County Library really a Carnegie library, and when did it open?
Yes. Community leader Georgiana Smith fundraised throughout the 1880s and 1900s — including selling ice cream at Fourth of July celebrations — to secure a $17,500 Carnegie Foundation grant. The library opened September 13, 1913, designed by architects Sutton and Whitney with L.A. Woodward in the Jacobethan style. The building and the surrounding Georgiana Smith Memorial Gardens were added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1998.
Who is Minoru Yasui and why is there a Legacy Stone for him at the library?
Minoru Yasui was an Oregon-born Japanese American attorney from Hood River County — the first Japanese American admitted to the Oregon bar. During World War II he deliberately violated the curfew order to challenge the constitutionality of Japanese American incarceration. His case reached the Supreme Court in 1943. He was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Legacy Stone in the Georgiana Smith Memorial Gardens honors his courage and his local roots.
Does the library district have other branches besides Hood River?
Yes. The Hood River County Library District operates three locations: the main Hood River Library at 502 State Street (Tue–Thu 10am–7pm, Fri–Sat 10am–6pm); Parkdale Library at 7300 Clear Creek Road in the Parkdale Community Center (Tue–Thu 2–6pm, Fri–Sat 10am–2pm); and Cascade Locks Library at 300 SE Wa-Na-Pa Street in Cascade Locks Elementary School (Tue & Thu 2–6pm, Wed, Fri & Sat 10am–2pm).
What is the Library of Things and what can I borrow?
The Library of Things lets cardholders borrow non-traditional items — tools, specialty equipment and other useful objects — just like checking out a book. Hood River also offers cultural passes to local museums and attractions. Check the library website at hoodriverlibrary.org or call (541) 386-2535 for the current catalog of available items.
🎨 This library lends museum passes. See how library museum passes work and find other libraries that lend passes museum passes by state.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
🧰 This library lends a “Library of Things.” See what you can borrow besides books and find other libraries with a Library of Things Library of Things by state.
🔨 This library has a makerspace / 3D printing. See how library makerspaces and 3D printing work and find other libraries with a makerspace makerspaces by state.
🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.
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