Multnomah County Library offers services to the community in several languages. One of these is Chinese. The library’s Chinese speaking team offers activities, resources and events specifically for the Chinese community.
Activities and events
Each year, the team organizes and plans celebrations for Lunar New Year and the Mid-autumn festival. But they also coordinate events that happen every day like tech help, storytimes and more.
Outside of the library the team helps with cultural events like the Dragon Boat Festival, Lunar New Year fair at the Convention Center and the Jade Night Market. At these events they set up a booth and provide library resources including brochures, books and help you sign up for a library card.
"I've been a bilingual Chinese staff for a long time at MCL, but it always brings me renewed excitement and joy whenever I talk to patrons either at the location or outreach site,” says Sally Li, bilingual Chinese library assistant. “I'm just so happy that they are connecting with us.”
Each month, the team visits senior centers to share books and resources. They also visit schools, including those with a Mandarin immersion program. There they provide storytime and culture programs for students in the community.
“I am very happy to work at the library and share Chinese culture. The Chinese in my heart is the Chinese that represents thousands of years of historical background and cultural inheritance. This is a culture with a foundation of kindness, perseverance, and positivity,” shares Kenny Chen, bilingual Chinese library assistant. “I hope that we can become a cultural bridge to help integrate Chinese and Western cultures. I look forward to creating a foundation of communication and mutual trust for the community.”
Books and resources
Find materials in Chinese at Woodstock Library, Central Library, Rockwood Library and Gresham Library.
“The Library bridges language barriers by providing helpful information in Chinese and other languages,” says Sean Khoo, bilingual Chinese library assistant. “As part of the language editorial team, I translated the English content of the library into Chinese to help patrons connect and use the library resources and services.”
You can check out books, media, electronic magazines and e-books. You can also take a look at print magazines while at the library. Online resources that are available in Chinese include PressReader, DragonSource, Libby and more.
With a Chinese materials selector, the library takes special care to order materials that are of interest to you! If there is an item you would like to see, suggest a purchase to include in the library’s collection.
Meet the team
You can connect with Chinese-speaking staff members at Central Library and Woodstock Library.
You can also speak with a Chinese speaking staff member over the phone when you call 503.988.5123.
"Multnomah County boasts a thriving Chinese-speaking community, and the Library's Contact Center is well-equipped with several team members fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin. I am proud to be one of them, dedicated to serving all library users and the broader community,” says Miu Kuen Lai, bilingual Chinese contact center representative.