Eugene Public Library

History

In 1898, a group of women founded the Fortnightly Club and opened a private reading room in a store building in downtown Eugene. Eugene Public Library was established as a tax-supported entity in 1904. In 1906, Oregon's first Carnegie Library was established on the corner of Willamette Street and East 11th Avenue. In 1959, a new library building opened at the corner of West 13th Avenue and Olive Street. This remained the main library building until it was moved to its current location at West 10th Avenue and Charnelton Street in 2002. At this time, the library already had two branches—Bethel (West Eugene) and Sheldon (Cal Young neighborhood)—that had opened in 2000.

In 2003 the new library building won first place in the American Institute of Architects of Southwest Oregon's public architecture awards. The library received a $1.1 million bequest in 2009 from the estate of Frederick "Doc" Rankin, a Eugene doctor and property owner who died in 2004.

Current building

The library's latest building and its underground parking garage have been described as "energy efficient, low maintenance, and filled with daylight." The new building is four times larger than the older one.

The number of users of the library approximately tripled after the new building opened, and then further increased following the economic downturn of 2008. In addition, its collection of items has had a net increase since 2005, as well as its circulation and visits.

References

References

1. "Grand opening". Eugene Public Library.
2. [http://www.eugene-or.gov/index.aspx?nid=7 "About the library."] Eugene Public Library. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
3. OSU Special Collections and Archives: Gerald W. Williams Collection (May 21, 2012). [https://www.flickr.com/photos/osucommons/7838978144/ "Carnegie Public Library, Eugene, circa 1910"]. Flickr. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
4. Walker, Barbara. (21 January 2021). "Fortnightly Club of Eugene". Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society.
5. Lowry, Marian (August 20, 1931). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Q8wRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XOgDAAAAIBAJ&dq=Eugene%20Public%20Library&pg=4024%2C2356194 "Eugene Public Library 25 years old Thursday."] ''The Register-Guard'' (Eugene, Oregon). Retrieved September 1, 2010.
6. Scheppke, Jim. "Carnegie Libraries in Oregon". Portland State University.
7. "2003 awards". AIA Southwest Oregon.
8. Bolt, Greg. (November 15, 2009). "Library gets $1.1 million gift". The Register-Guard.
9. "Sustainable, high efficiency lighting in a municipal library". Lighting Design Lab.
10. [http://www.shepleybulfinch.com/project/city-of-eugene/L2/ "City of Eugene, Eugene Public Library."] Shepley Bulfinch. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
11. Adams, Tom (August 12, 2008). [http://www.kval.com/news/local/26892269.html "The library as a tranquil oasis."] ''KVAL News'' (Eugene, Oregon). Retrieved September 1, 2010.
12. "Library, Recreation & Cultural Services Annual Report 2010". City of Eugene.