Books & your new community hub
East County Library is a brand-new and extraordinary space built from the ground up in Gresham. This modern, accessible library provides a dynamic community destination with roughly 95,000 square feet of learning, play, and connection.
This brand-new library was built just for East County. It’s a day trip, a learning resource, and a place of civic pride. On top of nearly 200,000 books, you’ll find a space filled with unique learning opportunities and so many ways to connect with your neighbors.
Books & your new favorite features
Thanks to the voters of Multnomah County, all 19 Multnomah County Libraries are being expanded and updated. Over 40% of Multnomah County residents live east of I-205, yet libraries in East County made up the smallest footprint in the system. As a result of the 2020 Multnomah County Library Capital Bond, the library invested in the people in East County with this exceptional destination library.
To make sure the space best reflected its local community, the design team worked with community members and staff to learn what the community wanted from their new library.
Features of this brand-new library include:
- A large collection of library materials with nearly 200,000 books, CDs, and DVDs.
- A two-level, 200-seat auditorium with flexible seating for cultural celebrations, lectures, and performances — a true community asset.
- A creative learning room with space for classes to explore 3D printing, robotics, construction, and more.
- An audiovisual studio with technology for patrons to record, edit, and produce their passion projects for free.
- A sizable teen room for enjoying technology, connection, and creativity — plus, two large screens for gaming!
- A large early learning and play space for children and their families with indoor and enclosed outdoor options.
- Two sensory rooms for supporting patrons with diverse sensory needs, one geared toward adults and one geared toward children.
- A rooftop terrace for community members to relax, read, and enjoy connecting with their neighbors.
- Eight small, two medium, and four large community rooms.
- Outdoor space on the ground level for community members to relax and connect including an outdoor plaza for music, speakers, and more, managed by the City of Gresham.
- Updated wi-fi and technology, including laptops, iPads, and creative software.
- New Automated Materials Handling system, ensuring materials get to patrons much faster.
- Modern self-checkout stations that provide a better patron experience.
- New art that represents the community in coordination with the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
- Artwork from the Portland Street Art Alliance.
Centering the community
The new East County Library is located in a robust, diverse area of Gresham. To amplify the community’s ideas, the library worked with the design team to host focus groups, online public meetings, one-on-one meetings with community members and public surveys. Community Library Champions from community organizations worked with residents in East County and beyond to gather their dreams for this new library. The design team and Champions engaged with over 5,000 people through 60 activities.
An expansive collection — and technology to get books to you fast
East County Library features a collection of nearly 200,000 books, CDs, and DVDs that are tailored for the local East County community. Nearly half of these are new to the library. The collection aims to represent the cultural and language diversity of the neighborhood, with over 30,000 books in languages beyond English. Plus, the new Automated Materials Handling system behind the scenes gets materials to patrons much faster!
A new auditorium for the community
The incredible size of East County Library provides an opportunity for new features that haven’t been possible at any other library. This includes a brand-new auditorium with nearly 200 seats for cultural celebrations, lectures, performances, and more. The room features a large screen, a powerful projector typically used in professional theaters, and speakers set up for even sound distribution. There is also an assistive listening system specifically for the auditorium, which amplifies sounds from lectures, presentations, storytimes, and events, so hard-of-hearing patrons can fully engage with library events.
Enjoy comfortable seating, indoor plants, a stunning staircase, elevators leading to the second floor, and easy access to the auditorium from the central living room of East County Library.
Learning and playing in the kids area — inside and out
Kids and their families can learn and have fun in East County Library’s 5,370 square foot kids area. On top of more than 40,000 children’s books, the early learning space on the first floor has unique furniture for kids and an enclosed outdoor play space for families. There’s also technology and seating for kids and their caregivers to learn and play side-by-side.
Sensory spaces for all
East County Library is also home to two sensory rooms, one geared toward children on the first floor and one geared toward adults on the second floor. These rooms help support patrons with diverse sensory needs. They can be flexible in how they’re used, from providing a calm, quiet area to a spot for more focused activity. These sensory spaces have a variety of lighting options as well as interactive furniture and have been intentionally designed based on research and input from the local community. It’s one more way the library provides welcoming spaces for the diverse needs of patrons.
Making, doing, and learning
In the creative learning room on the first floor, patrons can explore creative technology, equipment, software, and more. Open labs, workshops, camps, and classes help teach real-life technology, design, and engineering skills. The space provides access to equipment like 3D printers, a laser cutter, heat press, vinyl cutter, sewing machines, and more creative learning materials. You can also find Windows laptops, MacBooks, and iPads with creative software and a large screen.
A new teen room
East County Library’s new 1,542 square foot teen room on the second floor was guided by local teen input. This room gives teens a space to study, play games using state-of-the-art equipment on two 75” screens, and hang out with other teens in their community. The new space is complete with artwork from artist Xavi Panneton, guided by a teen art workshop, and a collection of over 10,000 different books for teens.
Recording your passion project
Check out the audiovisual studio on the second floor — the first and only AV studio in the Multnomah County Library system! The dedicated studio space has three rooms for a variety of creative needs. The control room serves as the hub, with a professional mixing console and television studio broadcast panel for live production and streaming. The video recording studio space includes a green screen, professional lighting, and cameras. The audio recording studio is equipped with instruments, including a digital piano, guitar, bass, and drum kit. The AV studio is the place for patrons to get creative and develop their own music, podcast, videos, and more.
A breath of fresh air
Need to soak up the sun and sights? Head up to the rooftop terrace (with a sun shade for those extra hot days)! With greenery, seating, and incredible views including Mount Hood, it’s the perfect spot for community and conversation at the library.
The outdoor spaces continue on the ground floor with Ikanum, a civic space running along the north side of the library. Set next to the MAX Blue Line, Ikanum will be operated by the City of Gresham, providing a space for community activities and connection. The project also received a grant to connect library patrons, transit riders, and neighboring residents with nature and provide an additional space for education and responsive programming.
Community connection
With multiple community rooms patrons can use, it’s easy to connect at East County Library. There’s eight small, two medium, and four large community rooms the public can use. That’s a total of 3,724 square feet of space!
These community rooms are even more accessible thanks to assistive listening systems that amplify sounds from lectures, presentations, storytimes, and events.
A sustainable building
East County Library is on track to be LEED Gold certified, one of the highest levels of energy efficiency awarded to buildings and the County standard. The library boasts:
- Highly efficient new mechanical and plumbing systems.
- Radiant flooring.
- Low-emitting materials, which contribute to improved indoor air quality.
- Panels on the rooftop converting sunlight into energy — and a system to store this renewable energy.
Books & artwork for all
As part of the library’s building projects, each major location gains engaging new artwork. Some of these exciting art pieces are thanks to the Multnomah County Percent for Art Program, which is led by the Regional Arts & Culture Council. RACC advocates for equity, inclusion, and access within the arts and connects artists and creatives to opportunities throughout the region. Additional pieces were created in collaboration with the Portland Street Art Alliance.
Find these art pieces at East County Library:
- Bronze and steel sculptures along NW Eastman Parkway from Mike Suri and Terresa White.
- Concrete and glass sculptures along the rooftop terrace and plaza from CR&SH Studio Art (Crystal Schenk and Shelby Davis).
- Wall art in the living room from Ka'ila Farrell-Smith, inspired by a community workshop.
- Wall murals at the elevators on all floors from Paula Champagne, inspired by a community workshop.
- Interior and exterior children's area artwork from Michaela Goade, author and illustrator of Berry Song.
- A mural outside the teen room by artist Xavi Panneton, inspired by a workshop with Gresham High School students.
Three bronze and steel sculptures along NW Eastman Parkway by local artists Mike Suri and Terresa White called Boundless: North, Center, South invite the community to explore transformative journeys that begin with curiosity and learning.
Eight sculptures throughout the plaza and rooftop terrace by CR&SH Studio Art honor the local community, the importance of land and water, and icons in and around the region. Concrete, glass, and lighting elements depict local landscapes, water, and mountain ranges.
Find 12 large wall-mounted artworks in the central living room area by Ka'ila Farrell-Smith, a Klamath Modoc artist. Made with birch wood, elk hide panels, Klamath chalk, and wildfire charcoal, the glyphs were inspired by petroglyphic imagery found along the Columbia River.
Four botanical murals by Paula Champagne frame each of the building’s four elevators. They also feature silhouettes of Gresham community members who participated in workshops, honoring the library’s future patrons who will see themselves in the artwork.
Author and illustrator Michaela Goade created art for the kid’s interior and exterior play area walls inspired by her Caldecott Medal-winning book Berry Song, which influenced the theme for the kids area. The walls are adorned with berries of all kinds from different seasons!
Books & how to get there
Ways to get to East County Library:
- Take the MAX to the Gresham City Hall MAX Station and arrive at the front doors.
- Take the FX2, 287, 82, or 21 to nearby bus stops just around the corner.
- Bike or walk there along the Wy-East Way Path or the Springwater Corridor Trail.
- Drive there via one of many routes including along the I-84, US-26, or Division St.
Books & community support
Construction budget: $113 million
Size: 95,000 square feet
Project budget: $163 million
Location: 475 NW Division St., Gresham, OR 97030
Thanks to these community organizations that contributed to the construction of East County Library:
- Holst Architecture
- Fortis Construction
- Adjaye Associates
- Energy Trust of Oregon
- Regional Arts & Culture Council
- Portland Street Art Alliance
- City of Gresham
- TriMet
- Black Economic Collective
- El Programa Hispano Católico
- IRCO
- Burgeon Group
- NARA NW
- Oregon Metro (through the Metro Nature in Neighborhoods grant)
- Friends of Multnomah County Library
East County Library’s early learning playspace, creative learning room, AV studio, teen room, outdoor children’s area, and opening weekend celebrations are all made possible by generous gifts to The Library Foundation.
Thank you to the Friends of the Library who generously supported the development of East County Library.