Tigard Public Library

History

In 1963, the Tigard Junior Women's Club lobbied the city council to start a library in the city that incorporated a few years prior in 1961. The city agreed to establish a library, but did not fund the project. The next year, the Tigard Library opened in downtown on Main Street at the former city hall, but it was operated by volunteers with an initial collection of 1,011 books, most of which had been donated during a door-to-door campaign. During the second year, the city contributed $175 for part-time staffing.

From 1976 to 1986 the library occupied a former mattress factory on Main Street. City residents approved a $2.2 million bond in 1984 to build a new library at Tigard's new civic center. In 1986, the library relocated to the building, where it remained until 2004. The civic center and library were dedicated on May 17, 1986. In 1998, the city began the process of looking to build a new library building, as the library had outgrown its approximately 12000 ft2 building. At that time the library's collection had grown to 104,000 items. However, voters turned down a bond request that year that also would have paid for other city buildings.

In May 2002, Tigard voters passed a $13 million bond measure to construct a new library building. The city bought 14 acre along Fanno Creek in 2003 for the new library, which was located on a former farm with orchards and a farmhouse. The city hoped to restore the two-story farmhouse and open it to the public, but it burned down in August 2003, during construction of the new library. The project cost $14.3 million, and included the costs of the land as well as construction on the 48000 ft2 structure.

Part of the grounds of the new library were fenced-off in September 2008 because of arsenic contamination linked to the former orchard on the land. In January 2010, the library started allowing self-service pick-up of books people have reserved. The Tigard Public Library Foundation funded a feasibility study in 2010 to determine whether a second library was needed. In July 2012, city budget cuts forced the library to start closing on Thursdays. Thursday operations resumed in 2016. By the library's 50th anniversary, the collection had grown to more than 235,000 items, now including books, CDs, and movies.

Facilities and services

Tigard's library building is a two-story, brick-faced structure with 47500 ft2. The building was designed by architects SRG Partnership and built by Hoffman Construction Company. Features include a 170-seat community room, gas fireplace, and glass atrium. There were fifteen librarians out of 39 total employees, and an annual budget of about $5.5 million. Within its collection are 188,069 print items, 19,473 audio items, and 23,920 video items, with a total collection size of 233,240. Total circulation (loans) that year was 1,522,367.

References

References

1. "Tigard Library News".
2. Nirappil, Fenit. (October 26, 2013). "Tigard Public Library plans to celebrate 50th birthday". The Oregonian.
3. Pursinger, Geoff. (October 24, 2013). "Tigard library reaches golden anniversary". The Times.
4. Hong, Binh Ha. (August 12, 1997). "No shushing is allowed at Tigard Library". The Oregonian.
5. Harrington, Deedee. (May 20, 1986). "Tigard dedicates $2.2 million Civic Center". The Oregonian.
6. Tsao, Emily. (February 13, 1998). "Tigard Library at the limit". The Oregonian.
7. Tsao, Emily. (May 30, 2002). "Campaign strategy wins credit for Tigard Library bond". The Oregonian.
8. Parker, Paige. (August 29, 2003). "House burns on Tigard Library site". The Oregonian.
9. Victoria Leon, Guerrero. (August 5, 2004). "Ready for Readers". The Oregonian.
10. Foyston, John. (September 12, 2008). "Part of Tigard library grounds tainted with traces of arsenic". The Oregonian.
11. Staff. (September 16, 2008). "Tigard library land deemed contaminated by DEQ". Daily Journal of Commerce.
12. Gregory, Roger. (December 22, 2009). "Tigard library to add self-service on Jan. 4". The Oregonian.
13. Florip, Eric. (December 8, 2010). "A second library in Tigard? Feasibility study to explore the idea". [[The Oregonian]].
14. Gifford, C.J.. (July 3, 2012). "Tigard Library now closed on Thursdays". The Oregonian.
15. "Patrons rejoice as Tigard Library returns its Thursday hours".
16. (November 7, 2003). "SRG Partnership Seattle office takes off – fast". Daily Journal of Commerce.
17. (Spring–Summer 2004). "The New Best Sellers". Hoffman Construction Company.
18. "2011-2012 Oregon Public Library Spreadsheet". [[Oregon State Library]].