A growing body of research shows that time spent outside is good for you and your family’s mental health and that spending time in nature is a great way to boost everyone’s mood. When you think about it, the human brain is designed for hunting, fishing, climbing trees and collecting food. Humans have, for most of our history, relied on nature and spent most of our time in nature. It’s only “natural” that we would feel at home outdoors! 

Many studies show that people report feelings of peace, contentment, and belonging when in nature. This might be because nature works to reduce the stress of cluttered and attention-demanding indoor environments. With less to focus and concentrate on, most people can relax their brain and truly destress, unlike when they find themselves in an attention-grabbing environment filled with television, phones, and other media. 

And let’s not forget spending time outdoors usually involves exercise, which increases blood flow and oxygen through the body and the brain, resulting in an improved mood and more energy. Exercise also increases “happy” hormones, like serotonin.  

So here are some ideas on how to get outside with your family! 

Grow or pick food: Plant a vegetable garden in your own space or at a shared community garden. And depending on the season, there are many places in and around Multnomah County where you can go and pick-your-own fruits and veggies to enjoy!

Bring nature indoors: Collect natural materials (something kids love to do!) and use them to decorate your space. Or find a place to put chairs where you can look out the window and see the sky and trees (great for rainy days!). You can also grow plants or flowers on your windowsill or even watch a video of nature with your family.

Do outdoor activities: It can be as easy as taking a walk together, maybe with the family dog, or watching the stars after sunset. Maybe eat outdoors (or as Fancy Nancy likes to say, alfresco!). You can also have family exercise outside, by jogging together through a local park, playing tennis at a nearby school or park tennis courts, or doing yoga outside. And if you have a 4th grader in your home, don't forget you can enjoy national parks, lands, and waters for free, for a full year!

Help the environment: Your family can take a monthly walk where you pick up litter or volunteer with groups who help with conservation or building animal habitats. 

Notice nature: Again, something kids are “naturals” at (pun intended). Find things you can touch, smell or hear. Maybe keep a family journal of your experiences. Maybe challenge your family to notice up to three things in nature every day! Or maybe try “Forest Bathing” with a local group! 

Connect with animals: Watch for wildlife when you are outside. Maybe hang a bird feeder, bat box or mason bee house where the family can watch. Backyard animals are everywhere! Visit a local farm or The Belmont Goats! (Librarian Jen volunteers with The Belmont Goats and they love visitors!) 

More ideas on why, how and where to get started:

• Outdoor Play: Mental Health Benefits, How to Tips, and More 
• Getting started - using nature to support your mental health
• The Social, Emotional, and Academic Benefits of Free Play for Children in the Summer
• Local parks and nature activities
• Find a park:
  • Fairview
  • Gresham
  • Portland
  • Troutdale
  • Wood Village
• Community Gardens:
  • Fairview
  • Gresham
  • Portland
  • Troutdale
• Conservation and environment:
  • Using Books to Introduce Kids to Conservation with Author Ruth A. Musgrave
  • East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District Events
  • West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District 

Also check out our booklist below for titles about the joy of getting outside.

This article was written for our Family Newsletter, available in English and Spanish. Please sign up here and you can email us at learning@multcolib.org with any questions.

For many years, School Corps has offered the Geisel Award winner booktalks as a program in schools. The Geisel Award is named after Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, and is awarded by the American Library Association to the most distinguished book for beginning readers. Books that win the Geisel Award are engaging for youth who are just learning to read. The Geisel Award booktalks presented by School Corps introduce students to current award winners and encourage students to get into reading.

In recent years, educators, parents, librarians, and researchers have brought attention to racist imagery present in many of Dr. Seuss’ books, as well as his own racist beliefs during his lifetime. A paper published in 2019 titled “The Cat is out of Bag: Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy in Dr. Seuss’s Children’s Books,” assessed 50 of Seuss’s books and found that people of color only made up 2% of characters in his books, and that depictions of people of color represented orientalist and anti-Black beliefs. This paper also brings light to Seuss’s racist beliefs expressed through political cartoons he created. In March 2021, Dr. Seuss Enterprises decided to discontinue the publication of 6 titles written by Dr. Seuss with overtly racist imagery. 

With this information and with the goal of leading with race, creating a safe and equitable space for students to learn and access books and library resources, the School Corps team has decided to no longer refer to the Geisel award booktalks using his name. We believe names carry power and in promoting his name through this program, we are partially endorsing his messages. The Geisel award booktalks will be replaced with a program called Silly, Fun Books for Beginning Readers. These booktalks will feature books that are diverse, enjoyable for children, and perfect for young readers. 

Please feel free to contact the School Corps team at lib.school.corps@multcolib.org with questions!

Sources and further reading:

The Cat is out of Bag: Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy in Dr. Seuss’s Children’s Books

Dr. Seuss Enterprises to Stop Publishing Six Books Due to Racist Imagery 

Dr. Seuss was racist. Why are we still reading his books? 

Bond project architecture firms welcome teen involvement

Since Multnomah County voters approved the Library Capital Bond in November 2020, the library has been hard at work with architecture firms to map out the design process for the construction and renovation of the Chapter One libraries. Throughout the process, the library and the firms have been meaningfully including teen voices with the help of two design programs.

The two programs coordinating teen involvement are Youth Opportunity Design Approach (YODA), and Your Street Your Voice. The YODA team has been working with architecture firms LEVER and Noll & Tam on the design of Albina and the North Portland locations. For the design of the Holgate and Midland libraries, Your Street Your Voice has been working with Bora and Colloqate architecture firms.

Both YODA and Your Street Your Voice offer teens a paid opportunity to help shape the design process and share what they want to see in their local libraries. The groups center the voice of teens coming from communities that are historically underrepresented in public processes. Through a multi-week cohort program students reflect on space and equity, and the messages that can be received from a space depending on who is considered throughout a design process. They are introduced into architecture as a career, while at the same time shaping library spaces in a meaningful way.

“As soon as I knew the Capital Bond Project was happening, I was looking for how we could have more youth involvement in these spaces,” says Sara Ryan, teen services librarian.

Pictured left to right are Sara Ryan (teen librarian), Isy Ibibo (teen librarian), and Cathy Parham (youth librarian).

The goal of both YODA and Your Street Your Voice is to see what kind of space the teens want to develop. “We work with students who don’t get asked ‘how could you change your environment?’ and this opens and unlocks their imagination. With the intention of the design team using their ideas and informing how the design will be executed, teens feel like we actually do care and want their input,” says Jacquelyn Santa Lucia, co-founder of Your Street Your Voice.

Your Street Your Voice provides opportunities and programs for students to get paid to learn about design as a tool for racial justice. The organization works with 12 local high schools, and has programs in and out of state. Your Street Your Voice works with primarily Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ youth who live in the neighborhoods of the libraries they are providing feedback on. “All students are experts, so we want to see what they desire to thrive,” says Jacquelyn.

There has been a lot of engagement from teens in both of these programs. “A lot of the students had thought about place already and what were places that were meaningful to them and where they felt welcome. So we built on this existing interest, and can see that teens are connecting across different schools and cultural backgrounds when they are doing group work,” says Sara.

To showcase the type of innovative concepts a library could have, the YODA team went on a field trip to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library. “On the way there and back it was a great experience with the kids being happy on their own, making friends and having a good time,” says Isy Ibibo, teen librarian. Teens got to see what a more recently updated library looks like, and gather inspiration for what their library could be. 

“The teens are concerned about comfortable seating in the library and a space that they could be in all day long and feel comfortable. But they also want a space that feels geared towards social justice and minority communities - BLM and LGBTQ+ rights. I’m very impressed that teens are thinking bigger than just wanting a cushioned chair,” says Isy.

There are different design teams and architects working with the teens on the projects. Each library is designed with the unique needs of each community and neighborhoods. “The overall approach is to have these teens be reflected in these specific areas, so there is different cultural and linguistic diversity,” says Suzanne Chou, community engagement coordinator with the Library Capital Bond Projects.

Students are learning project management skills, design principles, community agreements, environmental aspects of developing large buildings, color schemes, space considerations and more.

One teen shared how learning about architecture inspired him to explore other features of design, including the engineering and mechanics of a building. “This made me think about the concept that everything in the building has something to offer, whether that be functional or aesthetic,” says Theo, junior in high school and participant in the YODA program. 

Teens are guided through the visual process of design and what architecture looks like. The architecture team shows what the current plan is for teen spaces, how to read these plans and what a 21st century library could look like. 

“I really liked building with jenga blocks when I was a kid. I would put them to the side and put roofs on, and admire how there was structure, how architecture has to do with it, and how it is supported. From there I started looking more into what an architect was, because I didn't know before. I just liked building and liked the concept of structure and support and design in buildings. Then I learned what an architect meant and that's what I looked into to go forth,” says Marelynn, a junior in high school and participant in the YODA program.

Marelynn’s school has a work-study program that has allowed her and other teens to look a bit more in depth into specific careers. She has been passionate about architecture for a long time, and expressed her love for this program. “Problem solving is a big part of architecture. It’s all problem solving to get to the big goal you have in the future of the building or project, and even though the building needs to be strong to support everything, the process of design is flexible,” says Marelynn. 

In the recent Your Street Your Voice cohort, students were able to share their ideas with the design and architecture team as well as key library stakeholders. They described pieces of the library that are important to them, including color preferences, how the five senses can impact wanting to leave or stay at the library, and ideas for how to build community outside of the library— like with a community garden. The teens shared their wish list of rooms for particular interests— a music library, library of games, and even a pets library! No suggestion or idea was too outrageous, as this exercise was an opportunity for teens to think outside the box and discuss what they would like in the library if there were no limits.

“The built environment is a reflection of the value system. It’s very clear where investments have been put in when you see it in schools and libraries…and libraries are a safe space for a lot of people. They provide safety, security, and wrap-around services. I can't tell you how many times students have said, ‘the library has been the place,’” says Jacquelyn.

These programs offer hands-on activities for teens, and give young people the time and space to share in the design of the libraries they are a part of. 

The library is committed to youth informing future library projects, and as projects move forward, opportunities for input will be updated on the Library Capital Bond Projects website. You can also stay up-to-date by signing up for the bond projects newsletter.
 

Chinese patrons build community

Chinese is one of seven dedicated service language and culture groups at the library. Many library branches have staff that speak Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Vietnamese, Russian, or Spanish. They are working to build collections in these languages. There are also library staff dedicated to serving the culturally specific needs of the Black and Indigenous communities. The language and culture staff members connect with communities around the county to share information about local resources, and provide friendly guidance to navigate opportunities.

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month (AANHPI), and some of the library's wonderful Chinese patrons shared their experiences of the library and what they love most about it. 

Sign up for upcoming events at your local library

***

When Ms. Ren visited the Central Library for the first time, she was impressed with the staff and services available. 

When she learned about the English classes through the Adult Literacy Tutoring program, she signed up and asked how much she needed to pay. She was pleasantly surprised when she found out that all library services are free! 

Ms. Ren shared that learning English has helped her adapt to being in a new community and new country. 

Through the library, she has sought tech help and attended many arts and crafts classes. Her favorites have been those during the Mid-Autumn Festival where patrons learn to make lanterns, origami, dumplings, and calligraphy. Ms. Ren enjoys creating art and has gifted several Chinese knot and string art pieces (pictured) to the library to show her appreciation. 

Coming to the library, she has made new friends and found connections to her culture. 

“The library is just like a family. When you have difficulties and questions, then you can always ask the library…it is not just about books, it is also about helping the human.”

***

At this branch, they’ve connected with Chinese library staff, and while the library was closed during the pandemic, they attended virtual library storytimes. 

“Due to Covid, kids do not have many opportunities to learn together, especially those at an early age, having the virtual storytime meeting is really helpful for them, so they can develop reading and learning skills while having fun,” shared Ms. Schuchan Zhao. It was “a great opportunity for the young children to interact, listen to Chinese stories, and do crafts together.”

Ms. Schuchan Zhao and her family also love to attend the Chinese culture festivals and other virtual and in-person activities provided at the library. 

“The library provides the opportunity for the Chinese group to celebrate our festivals, share our culture and gather with our community, '' says Ms. Schuchan Zhao.

Her family has also participated in virtual storytimes, and the Summer Reading program. They have been able to enjoy the library as a family and inspire others to as well. 

“I would encourage people to apply for a library card, so they can enjoy getting books to read with their families,” says Ms. Schuchan Zhao.

***

Mrs. and Mr. Lin are a couple who’ve connected with the Chinese language staff at the Central and Midland libraries. 

“When we moved to Portland we wanted to come here to learn English. We have a volunteer who teaches us one by one. The library helps us with English, the tutors help us, and today we have about five tutors who have taught us. We always appreciate them for helping us learn English more and better,” says Mr. Lin.

The couple has benefited from the computer technology help, books, and classes available at the library. 

“We appreciate the technology help. It helps us learn on the computer if we have problems, they can help us solve this problem. Also on the cellphone, if there is a problem, they can help us resolve it. For the seniors this is really important. As we get older we have a lot of technology so what we learn is from the tech programs and we both appreciate it. After we learn the result, we help other people to resolve the same problem.The first time we used Zoom, we didn't know how to use it. Through the program at the library we learned how to use it and we helped seven or eight people use Zoom,” says Mr. Lin.

“We don’t use the computer often so sometimes I ask about computer problems. Sometimes it might be for my friend. So then I resolve the problem and then tell other people. Thank you for this,” says Mrs. Lin.

They have been library advocates, encouraging friends to use library resources and attend events. 

“At the library we can take out books and take them home for reading. There are a lot of Chinese books, so there may be one someone likes and can bring home for reading. The library also has some activities we always enjoy - the Lunar New Years programs, and the Mid-autumn festivals. We also like calligraphy and writing Chinese words,” says Mrs. Lin.

“We enjoy that our Chinese people go to the library. We told more than ten people to go.
We always ask the library what kind of activities the library will have and then we tell our Chinese apartment residents to join this activity. The library always contacts us and then we can tell someone to join this activity,” says Mr. Lin.

***

“I’ve taught traditional Chinese culture for over 15 years in the States. Since last year, I’ve been working in partnership with the Multnomah County Library to put together many events. I appreciate that the Multnomah County Library gives me so many opportunities to host cultural events,” says Ms. Hsing. 

Ms. Hsing has hosted Chinese classes in lantern painting, dough figurine art, hand-writing spring couplets and more.

“My favorite events are the Chinese calligraphy courses and Chinese painting lessons. Chinese calligraphy includes the history from 5,000 years of history, Confucius philosophy ... It's a rich heritage. We have poetry - and people use calligraphy to write poetry - it’s a beautiful thing to share the poetry and write the calligraphy written with handmade rice paper,” says Ms. Hsing.

Ms. Hsing has made incredible connections with patrons and staff through her programs. 

“The library is the best place and way to share culture because it is based on community. If I do cultural sharing, I want people to come and enjoy the program and cultural events,” says Ms. Hsing.

The library is a community hub where people can come together to celebrate their individual heritage and learn about other cultures as well. 
 

“Why do you only have one copy of [super popular e-book or audiobook]?”

One of many things could be happening here.

Is it Before the Book’s Release Date?

This is expected. The library buys a single copy of e-books and downloadable audiobooks in advance of their release dates so that they are in the catalog for you to place holds on them.

The week before the book is released, we buy enough copies for the title to meet demand based on the number of holds on the title at that time. This prevents “over-buying” in the expensive e-book and audiobook formats that often range in price from $55 to $109 per copy. This is how we meet demand while staying within our budget.

Is it After the Book’s Release Date?

There are two possibilities:

1. The holds have built up since the librarians last reviewed holds and bought additional copies (this happens once a week). We will buy more copies within the next few days.
2. The title is no longer available for the library to purchase and we are unable to add more copies. Titles can be removed from the purchasing catalog for many reasons. One of the most common is that Amazon purchased the rights to the title after the library bought our first copy. Amazon does not sell the digital versions of the titles it publishes or owns the rights for to libraries.

In the case of titles in the second category, librarians do check to see if new editions of any of these titles have been released. If they have, we add them to the collection and move the holds to the “active” copies. When new editions are not available to buy, it just means a really long wait for the title.

One way to check on audiobook availability is to see if the title has an “Only From Audible” banner on the cover on its Amazon page. If it does, the library cannot buy it.

If you have questions about specific titles, please let us know.

National Library Workers Day is a day of recognition for all that library staff, administrators and volunteers do for our libraries. Library workers play a critical role in our communities. At Multnomah County Library, employees across the organization keep the library running. 

At each library location, staff will help you find the resources you are looking for and keep the collection organized and up to date. They will help you find the answers to research questions, assist with technology, offer book recommendations for all ages, provide culturally specific service, and more. 

Motoya Nakamura/Multnomah County

Behind the scenes, staff help develop innovative programs, events and partnerships for and with our community. The library has many more staff who you don’t get to see at your locations, but that contribute to the library ecosystem, including delivery drivers (pictured) - who make sure you get the books you are looking for at the library of your choice! 

National Library Workers Day is observed on the Tuesday of National Library Week; this year it is on April 5, 2022. So next time you are in the library, share your gratitude with your dedicated library workers!

Multnomah County Library would not be what it is today without the leadership and influence of Mary Frances Isom, a champion for local public libraries in the Portland community, Multnomah County, and for school libraries.

Mary Frances was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1865, to prominent parents. Her father was a surgeon for the Union Army, and Mary Francis' mother focused on raising her. After the Civil War, Mary Frances' family returned to their home in Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1883, Mary Frances attended Wellesley College. After only a year, she went back home, and her mother died. When her father passed away in 1899, Mary Frances became the heir to her family’s wealth. 

Motivated to continue her education and a career path Mary Frances started at Pratt Institute’s Library School in New York in the fall of 1899. She received a certificate for completing the standard one-year course and then completed a second course in 1901. Her programs focused on cataloging, training on administration, library organization, and hands-on experience.

Mary Frances’ first job as a librarian was as a cataloguer for the Library Association of Portland. Her move came at an opportune time since there was a collection of thousands of books that needed her expertise. Portland pioneer merchant John Wilson gifted his collection of books to the Library Association of Portland, with the condition that the whole collection be free to all. As a result, the library transitioned from a subscription model in which it would cost money to access resources from the library, to a free public library. 

When Mary Frances arrived in Portland in 1901, she got to work to catalog the 8,891 books gifted by Wilson. As referenced in the biographical article, “Making the library be alive,” the 1901 library annual report refers to Mary Frances as having, “ worked with zeal and enthusiasm and the members of the staff transferred to her department have received the most efficient training and instruction.”

A year later in 1902, the library director left abruptly, and Mary Frances was offered the role of head librarian of the Library Association of Portland. As head librarian, she focused on three of the core needs identified at the time: books, space, and funding. Mary Frances also realized that the need for resources went further than just the Portland area. There was a need for books in the more rural parts of Oregon as well. 

Isom hadn't been at the library for more than two years when she began drafting a law enabling Multnomah County to levy taxes for library purposes. The library levy passed in 1903, paving the way for Multnomah County Library to become the first county library system on the West Coast.

She then focused her efforts on building a community around the library and attracting patrons into this new system. Realizing that people outside of the Portland area faced transportation challenges and barriers in getting to a branch, she developed book stations (also known as deposit stations) throughout rural areas of the county as a form of outreach. Each station carried about 50-100 books. This program snowballed into the idea of developing more opportunities for children to access books. 

As a collaborative leader, Mary Frances and her team developed child-focused programming at the library and distributed books to schools throughout the county. In addition, they also placed librarians at the community high schools.  

Portland was growing, and there was an interest in branch libraries. In 1907, some of the deposit stations became library branches. The first few new branches were Sellwood, Albina and East Portland libraries. 

At this same time, Andrew Carnegie began funding public libraries across the country. In 1911 and 1912, the library received Carnegie grants to build seven branch libraries. Of these St. Johns, Albina, and North Portland libraries are still in use today. Simultaneously, Mary Frances worked closely with Chief Architect Albert E. Doyle who led the design of the Central Library building, opening in 1913.

Mary Frances described the library as “the great social center of the community,” which she helped to create in her time in Portland. She lived a life that was rich and meaningful both professionally and personally.

Mary Frances Isom died in 1920. She was 55 years old. Upon her passing, Multnomah County Library had 16 public libraries. On the day of her death, the library closed for several hours to honor her works and life. The Multnomah County Library system our community knows and loves would not have been possible without the determination and vision of Mary Frances Isom more than a century ago. 

For more information about Mary Frances Isom and her life, please visit “Making the library be alive”: Portland’s librarian, Mary Frances Isom.
 

You may have heard that “networking” is important when you’re looking for a job, and you might be wondering what it means to “network” when you’re a teenager. The basic idea is to make connections with people who can help you with your job search. Think about everyone you already know: friends, family, teachers, counselors, coaches, people at a place of worship or other activity you do in the community. One of the simplest ways to network is to tell people in your life that you’re looking for work. A counselor might know about an upcoming job fair. A friend might work at a grocery that has other job openings. A teacher might be able to provide a reference for you. Here’s a networking worksheet to help you brainstorm. Download the PDF document and open it in Google Docs or another word processor to edit it.

Think of the library as being part of your network, too! The library has resources to help you find what jobs are available to teens, to make a resume and prepare for an interview. To schedule an appointment, contact us at workplace@multcolib.org.