Multnomah County Library's Black Resources Collection offers more than 7,000 items — books, film, periodicals, music and more — relating to the African American experience, as well as works created by African Americans and other people of African descent.

Most works in the Black Resources Collection are housed at North Portland Library, but some are located in other neighborhood libraries. Search "Black Resources Collection" to find all items in the library catalog.

Black Pacific Northwest Collection

Multnomah County Library’s Black Pacific Northwest Collection was created in 2018 and features the literature, music, film and other creative expressions of the Black experience in the Pacific Northwest. It encompasses work created by and about Black people in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and northern California. It is a living, growing collection available for use by everyone in our community.

Do you know of items we could add to this collection? Please suggest a purchase.

To find the collection, visit North Portland Library or search Black Pacific Northwest Collection from the library’s website.

Fisk University Collection

One of the special features is the Fisk Collection, which contains reprints of publications in the Fisk University Library collection. Available nowhere else in Oregon, these reprints are significant historical works written by and about African Americans between 1800 and 1930. Michael Powell of Powell's Books donated this 385-volume collection to the Black Resources Collection.

While most items in the Black Resources Collection may be checked out, some reference materials, such as the Fisk University Collection, must be used in the library.

 

The Black Pacific Northwest Collection will be temporarily relocated to Kenton Library until North Portland reopens to the public.