North Portlanders haven’t had the St. Johns Library since its renovation closure in October, and now they won’t have the Kenton Library after it closes Feb. 14 for six months.
Multnomah County officials had given St. Johns-area residents several months’ notice before closing that branch, but Kenton residents have barely received any warning before service stops at Kenton. “I’m very unhappy they [the county] didn’t wait until the St. Johns renovation was completed before they closed Kenton,” said Mary Jo Smith, who’s been coming to the Kenton branch since the St. Johns Library closure.
“I understand their concerns about St. Johns and Kenton being closed at the same time,” said Multnomah County Library Director Annie Lewis in a Jan. 21 statement. She explained that the $387 million library capital bond program that voters passed in 2020 required a relatively short timeline to complete upgrades at every library location. The county had to compress its renovation timeline schedule to maximize the bond finance benefits. “Unfortunately,” Lewis added, “the project timelines that we have committed to prevent us from postponing the Kenton closure until St. Johns Library reopens.”
Residents encouraged to use North Portland library branch
The Kenton update will include new automated technology for quicker processing, the lowering of shelf heights to encourage safety, and new furniture, carpet and paint.
Library officials did decide to postpone start of work on the Kenton Library until after the North Portland branch reopens on Saturday, Feb. 8. The branch is 5.2 miles from the St. Johns Library and 2.2 miles from the Kenton Library.
The North Portland branch at 510 N. Killingsworth Ave. closed in April 2023 for a renovation scheduled to be completed by late summer 2024. The now completed mid-February 2025 project will increase the Carnegie library’s size to 10,200 square feet.
The reopening “may fill some of the controversial void in service” from the St. Johns and Kenton closures, according to a library news release. The revamped North Portland branch will include a Black Cultural Center celebrating African American heritage, updated WiFi and more laptops, iPads and equipment for patrons, an early learning center for children, as well as original artwork.
The public is invited to the dedication at 9:30 am, Feb. 8, followed by a Jefferson Dancers performance and two full days of activities. For more event information check here.
The county scheduled several Mobile Library visits to the St. Johns area in early January but gave residents less than 48 hours notice. St. Johns Neighborhood Association (SJNA) volunteers did what they could to share the information on Facebook and Instagram.
. Photo by Barbara Quinn.
The Mobile Library showed up unannounced Jan. 21 at N. Central and Charleston (the Farmers Market site) and will return from 11 am-3 pm on alternate Tuesdays Feb. 4 and Feb. 18. The bus will return to Cathedral Park from 11 am-3 pm on alternate Wednesdays, Feb. 5 and Feb. 19. Patrons will be able to access WiFi, computers, printing/scanning services, and check out and return books.
The county will soon begin some library programming at the St. Johns Community Center. They hope to have a small collection of high-interest library materials, information about other library resources, story time and technology help, according to SJNA Chair RJ DeMello. To stay informed, you can sign up for the SJNA newsletter or go to multcolib.org/temp-services.
