The Library Foundation

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

The Library Foundation highly values continuous learning and encourages all members of our team to seek professional development opportunities and strive for growth in our work together. We are a highly collaborative team that is strengthened by our commitment to feedback and continuous improvement. We work with outside consultants, in an advisory fashion, to help our organization build our skillset, our culture and our capabilities.

The Library Foundation is deeply invested in the following external mobilization efforts, providing leadership support and funding for: 1) Programs that support program partnerships with hundreds of nonprofit community partners and schools that serve children and families. 2) Educational presentations to local civic organizations, elected leadership, and business and community leaders about our library’s work. 3) Participation in outreach and advocacy efforts to support stable public funding for our library system, including the recent passage of a bond that is supporting a dramatic expansion of library buildings across our system. 4) Ongoing participation in the community engagement process with hundreds of stakeholders to shape the development and planning for 8 new and remodeled libraries in our community.

Repercussions from the pandemic have been one of several challenges The Library Foundation has faced, and overcome, in the last 12-18 months. 1) The Library Foundation is supporting new spaces for children and teens in 8 new and expanded libraries through a four-year $9.5 million campaign that will also support a broad array of children’s literacy programs reaching tens of thousands of children, teens and families each year. These 8 large-scale building projects will increase Multnomah County Library’s space by nearly 60% and strengthen the library’s ability to serve our community into the future. The Foundation will be giving the library 2 – 3 times the funding the library typically receives through our support. Our work on the campaign, thus far, has been very successful. 2) Also, many of the library programs made possible by The Library Foundation involve ongoing and valued partnerships between Multnomah County Library and community partners, such as Head Starts, health educators, and culturally specific organizations. These community partners have been, and continue to be, deeply impacted by pandemic related challenges, including staffing shortages, training shortfalls, and health related concerns from families. As a result, over the last 12-18 months, our organization has supported initiatives, above and beyond our regular programs, to help the library test new ways of reaching families. This has included supporting the development of remote trainings and sessions for care providers and for parents, finding new ways to get books into the hands of children and parents who are not going to libraries at this time, and supporting outreach events in new settings, including parks, outdoor fairs and even parking lots where families and children may be.