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The temperature is creeping up, the rain is falling and the world is starting to look a bit more cheerful. In the spring, nature wakes up and colors return to the Pacific Northwest. Children, too, seem to grow faster than ever with a little extra rain and sunshine. Here are five great ideas to help grow your little reader while celebrating spring.

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate influential people, events and actions contributing to Black History in the United States. Each year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History selects a theme for Black History Month to focus the attention on one specific aspect of the Black experience.

School Corps services will end with the close of this school year in June. It’s been a privilege and an honor for School Corps staff to have served educators and students for over 27 years. Read a special message from our team to learn about what services to educators and students will look like in the future.

In 2021 the library formed an Indigenous team to provide better representation of Indigenous people in the library. The Indigenous team strives to offer multi-generational programs and better access to resources. They also create displays that value elders, youth, storytelling, tradition and activism.

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.

The library hosts storytimes in multiple languages including Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Spanish and English. Storytimes are family-friendly library programs, typically for young children birth to age six.

Vailey Oehlke, Multnomah County’s longtime Director of Libraries, will retire in June after serving as director for the past 15 years.

Lecia Michelle is the author of The White Allies Handbook: 4 Weeks to Join the Racial Justice Fight for Black Women. She is a librarian by trade with experience at universities and public libraries.

Letter from Vailey Oehlke, Director of Libraries, on her retirement

Multnomah County Library offers library services in Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. The library’s Vietnamese team helps patrons find materials and library services in Vietnamese.

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.

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPI). It’s a special time where we can reflect on and celebrate the remarkable role of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community. In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month, join us in celebrating with programs and crafts at different libraries in May.

The Spanish language team collaborates with schools, community partners and nonprofits to connect with patrons in and out of the library.

Multnomah County Library offers Chinese and Vietnamese language services to serve Portland’s vibrant Asian community. Patrons and Multnomah County voters make the library and its services possible, and some of them have shared how the library has made a difference in their life.

Multnomah County Library Deputy Director Annie Lewis is temporarily serving as Multnomah County Library Interim Director of Libraries, following the retirement of longtime Director of Libraries Vailey Oehlke.

Albina Library — its past defined by growth-triggering relocation — has a storied history in its current home.

Multnomah County Library’s Tween Council provides youth ages 9-12 the opportunity to advise the library on services for tweens. Youth can socialize with peers and earn volunteer credit at the same time!

Notable Two-Spirit figures in history