Public Libraries in Portland, Oregon
Oregon — United States
Public Libraries in Portland, Oregon
Two free WCCLS community libraries serving the west side of the Portland metro in Washington County.
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Libraries
Multnomah County Library Branches
Multnomah County Library — one of the oldest public libraries in the western United States — serves Portland through its 1913 Central Library and a network of neighborhood branches, several of them being rebuilt through a voter-approved capital bond. Explore individual locations for real hours, addresses, and what makes each one distinctive:
Libraries in Portland
Garden Home Community Library
📍 7475 SW Oleson Rd, Portland, OR 97223
📞 503-245-9932 · 🕑 Mon–Fri 10–6, Sat 10–3, Sun closed
Cedar Mill Library
📍 1080 NW Saltzman Rd, Portland, OR 97229
📞 503-644-0043 · 🕑 Mon–Thu 10–8, Fri–Sat 10–5, Sun 12–5
The Story of the Library in Portland
Garden Home Community Library was founded in 1983 by local volunteers who repurposed books left over from the Garden Home School, which had closed in 1982 due to declining enrollment. The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) acquired the former school building and made a classroom available for the fledgling library. The Garden Home Community Library Association was formally incorporated as a nonprofit in 1994 and joined WCCLS in July 1996 as the cooperative's twelfth member library. A 2004 expansion doubled the library to about 1,860 square feet, and further additions of rooms in the Garden Home Recreation Center in 2019 and 2020 grew its footprint to roughly 3,449 square feet.
Cedar Mill Library is operated by the Cedar Mill & Bethany Community Libraries, one of the largest nonprofit library organizations in the United States and a longtime WCCLS member. The nonprofit runs the Cedar Mill Library on NW Saltzman Road alongside its Bethany Library, providing free public library service to the unincorporated communities of northwest Washington County.
About Public Libraries in Portland
The two libraries listed here for the Portland metro's west side — Cedar Mill Library and Garden Home Community Library — are independent 501(c)(3) community libraries that are full members of Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS). Although operated by local nonprofits rather than a county government branch system, they are free and open to the public. A single free WCCLS library card is honored at every member library across Washington County, and it also unlocks the shared catalog, holds delivery between libraries, and the county's digital collections. (These community libraries are separate from Multnomah County Library, which serves the city of Portland proper.)
Oregon residents can use Answerland, the State Library of Oregon's free statewide online reference service, to chat live with a librarian and get research help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. WCCLS cardholders also get access to Library2Go (the Oregon Digital Library Consortium's OverDrive/Libby collection) for free eBooks and audiobooks.
📚 What You Can Access
- 📚 Books, DVDs, and materials borrowed free with a WCCLS card
- 📱 eBooks & audiobooks via Library2Go (OverDrive/Libby)
- 💬 24/7 live librarian help through Oregon’s Answerland
- 🔎 Shared WCCLS catalog with holds delivered between libraries
- 🖨️ Public computers, printing, and free Wi-Fi
- 🧒 Children’s and family programs at each community library
🏛️ Quick Facts
| Libraries | 2 community libraries (WCCLS members) |
| System | Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) |
| Locations | Cedar Mill (1080 NW Saltzman Rd) · Garden Home (7475 SW Oleson Rd) |
| Phone | Cedar Mill 503-644-0043 · Garden Home 503-245-9932 |
| Founded | Garden Home Community Library — 1983 |
| Library card | Free WCCLS card (works county-wide) |
| State resource | Answerland (State Library of Oregon) |
Explore more public libraries in Oregon
Frequently Asked Questions