PORTLAND, Ore. — April 15, 2025 — Multnomah County Library has entered into an agreement to lease a space in downtown St. Johns to serve as a temporary location during the library’s closure for expansion and improvements as part of the voter-approved 2020 library capital bond. The temporary location is expected to open in May 2025.
The space, located at 8191 North Lombard St., Unit 110, is part of The Union at St. Johns complex adjacent to St. Johns Library. The temporary location 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.
The library will use this space to serve patrons until the historic St. Johns Library reopens in spring 2026. 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.
Major projects funded by the bond, like St. Johns Library, are either completed or underway. A series of smaller refresh projects at all other locations are continuing. The 2020 capital bond was structured to maximize the financial benefit to taxpayers. This approach requires the library and its partners to rebuild and refresh libraries rapidly but yields a higher return on investment that the library is investing in these building improvements. For more information, see “Construction underway! Why multiple libraries closed at the same time.”
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.
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