Multnomah County Library - Holgate — Attraction in Portland

I have worked in six different libraries as well as volunteered for Mult Co Library so I feel betrayed to have a very frightening experience here.

I hadn’t been in the new Holgate Library building and wanted to share my impressions with a friend who is a woodworker.

The new building is amazingly beautiful. The woodwork is fabulous. Tons of natural lighting. The area the public uses is upstairs and the stairwell is adorned with stunning glass decor. The main public area is spacious and quiet. I needed to ask where the scanner was and was helped by a very courteous employee.

I finished my work, spent a few minutes near the machines texting and started to leave.

Just before walking downstairs, I turned and soaked in the space and took a picture. Immediately the security guard was by my side asking me why I was taking pictures. I explained why but he didn’t leave and stood about a foot from me. Feeling very confused and uncomfortable, I headed to the stairs. Another patron and the security guard and I all ended up on the same step but I wanted a picture, so I paused and indicated to the gentleman patron to go ahead. He said “Ah.. taking a photo are you?” We admired the glasswork and he continued down. Security Guard hovered but finally moved down. I waited until he was out of the frame to take my picture. (Unsuccessfully.) He lurked near the bottom of the stairs waiting for me.

Determined to remain calm and get my photos, I walked the opposite direction of the exit to get a pic of the skylight. SG followed me and when I turned around toward the exit, he did too. He was within a foot of me, slightly behind and to the left side.

Freaked out, I confronted him and asked “What’s the deal? Why are you following me?” I explained again I had never been in the building and was taking pictures to share with a friend. He asked “You’ve never been in the building?” and I repeated “No. I’ve never been here before. What’s the deal? Do you just assume the worst of people and harass them like this?”

Then he told me an employee ID’d me as a suspended patron

Shame on you- whoever you are. Next time you decide to ruin some one’s day, get a second opinion. Get confirmation. Don’t let this happen again.

Train your employees in critical incident protocol. And especially train the Security Crew. They need to be trained in non-threatening confrontation. It was a lucky day— A dangerously imbalanced person would be violent when feeling threatened.

Side notes: This SG was outside smoking and watched me park across the street and enter the library To his credit, he also apologized when he realized the mistake

Pictures of main public area, the stairs, and the atrium above the downstairs entrance One of me- looking like a normal...

This library is new and quite fancy.

I like that the kids area is it's own contained room in the lower level, close to the bathrooms with a room set aside for nursing mother's. The kids area does get a bit crowded, there is a play area, desks, and a spot for coloring. The kids area was a louder and busy whe we visited. I liked the more natural decorations and fun small details for kids to find and explore.

There are elevators and stairs to the second level which is for adults, there is a teen room also. I noticed a few small rooms for special projects and a few conference rooms. there were a few chairs and benches and tables around for places to sit and work or read. The adult area was nice and quiet since the kid area is so separate.

The hardest part is parking and driving along the narrow street getting to the parking lot. It is a small parking lot, so that could be challenging during very busy times.

In general, I think they did a great job in making the library functional and pleasing to look at. There is a lot of beauty and slivers of art...

New library review: super duper cool, there's a lot of new books on the shelf! Go borrow them before they're gone! Kids did NOT stay in the kids area and screamed on the second floor, which is inevitable but still annoying. The individual rooms require a week in advance signing up, which is also inconveniant.... especially when kids being loud on the second floor. The internet connects really fast, all the facilities are nice, there are these cafe styled tables which are adorable, and then a big couch that is covered in cool material that RUSTLES when you touch it and it sounds REALLY NICE!!! There's a lot more seating, and seeing a bunch of indoor plants makes me really happy. I think I might live there for the...