It was announced at the April St. Johns Neighborhood Association meeting that Multnomah County Library has signed a lease to secure a temporary library site for the North Portland community. It will offer services while the St. Johns Library is closed for renovation until mid 2026.
The temporary site is located in the Union at St. Johns building at 8191 N. Lombard, Suite 110, near Sparrow Bakery and Pampered Orchid. The location is close to the existing library. It will function similarly to the Hawthorne Holds Pickup location in SE Portland, offering holds pickup, returns, and a Lucky Day collection, plus free printing, faxing, scanning, and Wi-Fi. The library expects this location to open to the public sometime in May and will share more service details once they become final.
in the Union at St. Johns.
In an email to neighborhood association chair, RJ DeMello, Library Director Annie Lewis noted, “The process of exploring physical locations suitable for library services took longer than we wanted but I hope that folks will welcome this news. Thank you also to the SJNA and members of the community who shared feedback regarding the importance of library services in St. Johns during the building closure.”
The Mobile Library will continue making visits at the intersection of N Central St. and N Charleston Ave. to provide material returns, a small browsing collection, Wi-Fi, computers, printing, copying, and scanning.
The St. Johns Library renovation and expansion kicked off with a groundbreaking in November 2024. Once completed, the project will add 2,900 square feet, and offer a host of new features, including a large play and learning space for children and families; a teen area, updated technology and internet and new art that represents the community.
