The Portland community is home to a staggering number of lending resources; books are only the beginning! We’re glad to be able to provide this list of libraries, traditional and otherwise, and we hope it will be of assistance to you. Please be aware that the information provided is subject to change, and we recommend calling ahead to verify hours/availability.

In Other Words

In Other Words has taken the next step in making literature accessible though the creation of a free lending library. Our library is a free resource that enables everyone to find radical books and zines and enables us to further our mission of supporting education. In times of economic hardship, libraries are crucial institutions to ensuring access to literature, and a library that is specialized is even more of an asset because it ensures that those materials include work from and for underrepresented and marginalized groups.

Website: http://inotherwords.org/library
Online catalog: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/In.Other.Words
Contact: info@inotherwords.org , 503-232-6003
Location: 14 NE Killingsworth St. Portland, OR 97211
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 12-7pm
Who: Open to the public

Bitch Community Lending Library

The Bitch Community Lending Library holds over 2,000 books, zines, magazines, and DVDs that explore feminism, media studies, pop culture, queer studies, race studies, sex and sexuality, body image and much more. New titles are added to our collection on a daily basis. The library also holds rare issues of ROCKRGRL and Sassy magazines which are available for browsing in our cozy reading room.

Website: http://bitchmagazine.org/library
Online catalog: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/bitchlibrary
Contact: See website, 503-282-5699
Location: 4930 NE 29th Avenue, Portland, OR 97217
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday: 5-8pm, Monday through Friday: 11-5 by appointment
Who: Open to the public

Q Center Kendall Clawson Library

Q Center’s Kendall Clawson library contains over 2,000 books, movies, CDs and historical materials by, for, and about LGBTQI people.  Our collection is made entirely from community donations, and we have a wishlist if you’d like to gift us.  We are becoming a free lending library, with no fines, so take our books home!  Volunteers are needed to process, arrange and organize this lovely research collection, and work days happen monthly.  Head (queer) librarian Ismoon Maria Hunter-Morton is available for any research or reference questions.

Website: http://www.pdxqcenter.org/our-libraries
Online catalog: http://www.librarything.org/clawson.library
Contact: ismoon.maria@gmail.com (librarian) 503-234-7837 (center)
Location: 4115 N Mississippi Ave Portland, OR 97217
Hours: M-F 10 – 5, weekends open during events at Q Center
Who: Open to the public

Queer Resource Center (at PSU) Library

QRC library contains a host of current and classic books on a wide variety of issues pertaining to queer culture and studies, from history and biography to fiction and criticism.

Website: http://www.qrc.pdx.edu/center.php
Contact: qrc@pdx.edu, 503-725-9742
Location: Smith Memorial Student Union Room #401, located at 1825 Southwest Broadway
Hours: See website
Who: PSU students

Multnomah County Library

Multnomah County Library is the oldest public library west of the Mississippi, with a history that reaches back to 1864. Today, Central Library and the other 18 neighborhood libraries that make up the library system house about 700 computer search stations for the public and a collection of two million books and other library materials.

Website: http://www.multcolib.org
Contact: Options for email, telephone or chat contact, see website for details.
Location: 18 branches all over Portland
Hours: Different by branch, generally Monday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tuesday & Wednesday: noon–8 p.m. Thursday–Saturday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday: noon–5 p.m.
Who: Residents of Multnomah County for free, others with a fee

Black Rose

Black Rose is a non-profit, all volunteer, consensus-based, collectively run infoshop in Portland, Oregon. In addition to our bookstore and lending library, we also have a freestore with zines, clothes, books, small household items, and more – all for free! We strive to be an anti-oppressive, anti-authoritarian, safer, sober community space.

Website: http://facebook.com/blackroseinfoshop
Contact: blackrosepdx@gmail.com, 503-877-2562
Location: 4038 N. Mississippi Ave., Portland, OR 97227
Hours: Open most days, 12 PM to 6 PM.
Who: Open to the public

Books to Prisoners

Not technically a library, they are a great group to volunteer with or donate books to. Portland Books To Prisoners is an all-volunteer collective working to distribute books free of charge to prisoners. We are dedicated to offering people behind bars the opportunities for self-empowerment, education, and entertainment that reading provides.

Website: http://www.pdxbookstoprisoners.org
Contact: pdxbookstoprisoners@riseup.net

Laughing Horse

Laughing Horse Book & Film Collective is a cooperatively run bookstore/infoshop that has served the Portland area since 1985.

Website: http://www.facebook.com/LaughingHorsePDX, http://laughinghorsebooks.blogspot.com
Contact: laughinghorsepdx@riseup.net, 503-236-2893
Location: 12 NE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97232
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am -7pm
Who: Open to the public

North Portland Preserve and Serve

North Portland Preserve and Serve is a community resource dedicated to fostering sustainability through the focus of home food preservation, waste reduction and reuse. We loan a variety of food preservation equipment and durable dishes to North Portland community members for a small donation of $5-30.

Website: http://preserveandserve.org
Contact: preserveandserve@gmail.com, 503-544-2843
Location: 7535 N Chicago, Portland, OR 97203.
Hours: By appointment during Tuesdays from 6-8pm and Saturdays from 9-11am.
Who: Must be over 18 and live in a North Portland neighborhood (see website for boundary details)

NE Home Goods Library

We have equipment and supplies for preserving foods, decreasing the amount of waste when you host a party or function, and other DYI projects. By offering this resource to the community, we will be significantly reducing the amount of paper plates and cups, plastic cutlery, and disposable napkins that end up in our landfills. We anticipate that approximately 100 NE Portland households will access the library per year. With 100 place settings in the Serve Collection, we estimate that 2 events per week will be covered. That equals 5200 less disposable cups, plates, cutlery settings, and napkins in our landfills each year.

Website: http://www.nurturepdx.org/share/ne-home-goods-library
Contact: info@nurturepdx.com, 503-451-3946
Location: 1626 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR 97211
Hours: The library has an online reservation system, see website for details
Who: NE Portland residents and some others, see website for details

Portland Seed Library

The Seed Library is a simple way for neighbors to share seeds and gardening expertise with one another.  When you’re ready to plant something new in your garden, you can visit the seed library and borrow seeds for any almost any variety of plant–for free!  It doesn’t cost anything to be a member, or to borrow seeds.  We rely on seed donations from members to keep the library stocked for the next season.

Website: http://portlandseedlibrary.org
Contact: See website
Location: 5431 NE 20th Ave., Portland, OR 97211
Hours: Sat 9am-2pm, Weds 5:30-7:30pm
Who: Must be 18 or older and live in NE Portland west of 82nd Avenue. (see website for boundary details)

Independent Publishing Resource Center

The IPRC’s mission is to facilitate creative expression, identity and community by providing individual access to tools and resources for creating independently published media and artwork. In our twelve years of operation, we’ve provided artistic services to upwards of 23,000 Oregonians through membership, use of the Center, workshops and outreach programs. We’ve empowered thousands of people to create and publish their own artwork, writing, zines, books, websites, comics and graphic novels.

Website: http://www.iprc.org
Contact: info@iprc.org, 503-827-0249
Location: 917 SW Oak Street #218 Portland, Oregon 97205 USA
Hours: Mon 12 to 10pm, Tue/Wed/Thu 4pm to 10pm, Fri 12 to 10pm, Sat 12 to 6pm
Sun 12 to 5pm (youth only), 5pm to 10pm
Who: IPRC has a membership program, see website for details and rates

Our United Villages: Community Outreach

The Community Resource Library is a free resource of books, articles, DVDs, historical documents and other helpful materials.  Use these resources to gain inspiration, knowledge and skills for turning community-building ideas into action. Materials are available to borrow for two-week increments from the Community Outreach office. Drop in and see what we have available. Borrowed materials must be picked up in-person and returned promptly.  Check the website regularly for featured materials and to learn about new additions to the library.

Website: http://ouvcommunityoutreach.org/resources/community-resource-library
Contact: outreach@ourunitedvillages.org, 503-546-7499
Location: 3625 N. Mississippi Avenue, Portland, OR 97227
Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
Who: Open to the public

Northwest Documentary Arts & Media Library

NW Documentary is launching a new initiative to build a documentary resource center that will support and enhance our dynamic catalog of educational workshops and serve as an asset to our community. This unique resource center will house a circulating collection of non-fiction DVDs, books, and reference materials that support the curriculum of workshops offered by NW Documentary, a collection of local music for use in student projects, and a website featuring links to online resources.

Website: http://nwdocumentary.org/storytelling-center/library
Contact: info@nwdocumentary.org, 503-227-8688,
Location: 115 SW Ash St. Suite 620, Portland, OR. 97204
Hours: Monday – Friday 11am – 5pm, always best to call in advance
Who: Open to the public

Genealogical Forum of Oregon, Inc. Library

The Genealogical Forum of Oregon (GFO) research library contains over 32,000 volumes as well as special collections.  Our library is staffed entirely by dedicated volunteers who can help you find resources and start your research. Some unique collections include: microfilm copies of the Oregon Donation Land Claims,  material for researching several Native American nations,  and a rare book section with many hard to find resources.

Website: http://www.gfo.org
Contact: gfoinfo@hotmail.com, 503-963-1932
Location: 2505 SE 11th Ave, B-18, Portland, OR, 97202
Hours: Monday -Thursday 9:30-5:00, Friday – Saturday 9:30-3:00, Sunday 12:00-5:00
Who: Has some free resources and a membership program, see website for details and rates

The Personal Libraries Library

The Personal Libraries Library is a specially-curated lending library located in Portland, Oregon. The Library is dedicated to recreating (and reconsidering) the personal libraries of artists, philosophers, scientists, writers and other thinkers & makers. The collection commenced with the personal library of Maria Mitchell, the 19th-century astronomer, librarian, educator and suffragist. It currently is also collecting the personal libraries of Robert Smithson, the influential artist, writer and thinker; Italo Calvino, journalist, literary critic and author; and Jorge Luis Borges, poet, short-story writer, translator and National Librarian of Argentina. The Personal Libraries Library, and its books, function as a locus for research, connections, convergences, discoveries, curiosity & happenstance. Subsequent personal libraries of interest to collect belong to: Hannah Arendt, Buckmister Fuller, Lady Bird Johnson and Yoko Ono.

Website: http://www.personallibrarieslibrary.com
Contact: personallibraries@gmail.com
Location: 4619 NE 7th Ave. Portland, OR 97211
Hours: See website
Who: Has a membership program, see website for details and rates

Street Books Library

Street Books is a bicycle-powered mobile library, serving people who live outside. Books are available to check out and return, utilizing an old-school card catalogue system.

Website: http://streetbooks.org
Contact: librarian@streetbooks.org
Location/Hours: 10-1, Wednesdays at Skidmore Fountain, 11-2, Saturdays at Park Blocks (Salmon Street)
Who: Open to the public

Tool Libraries

SE Tool Library

The SE Portland Tool Library is an all-volunteer library of home and garden tools which may be borrowed free of charge by SE Portland residents. We’re just like a library that lends books, we just happen to deal in saws, hammers, rakes, ladders, and  seeds!

Website: http://www.septl.org
Contact: See website
Location: St David’s Episcopal Church, SE Harrison St & SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Hours: Sat 9am-2pm, Tues 5:30-7pm
Who: Must be over 18 and live in SE Portland in SE Uplift’s boundaries. (see website for boundary details)

NE Tool Library

Northeast Portland Tool Library works towards a future where Portland is vibrant, sustainable, and a thriving city for people of all income levels by providing homeowners, renters, and business owners of the Northeast with tools and the knowledge to use them.

Website: http://www.neptl.org
Contact: See website
Location: 5431 NE 20th Ave., Portland, OR 97211
Hours: Sat 9am-2pm, Weds 5:30-7:30pm
Who: Must be 18 or older and live in NE Portland west of 82nd Avenue. (see website for boundary details)

North Portland Tool Library

The primary objective of the Tool Library is to help build community and livability in this very diverse area of the city by providing this free resource to all residents of North Portland free of charge.

Website: http://www.northportlandtoollibrary.org
Contact: NoPoTool_Library@yahoo.com, 503-823-0209
Location: 2209 N. Schofield, Portland OR, 97217
Hours: Sat 9am-2pm, Tues 5-7:30pm
Who: Must be over 18 and a resident of North Portland (see website for boundary details)