Open Tuesdays through Sundays year-round, the Salem Public Library offers a pleasant environment to browse books, use the internet, attend a lecture or musical performance, or just sit by one of the giant windows and observe the outside world.
A Brief History of the Salem Library
The library in Salem started in 1904 when a group from the Salem Women’s Club set up a library in the corner of the room where the Salem City Council met. By 1912, Salem was the beneficiary of a new library building. Salem’s first true library was part of Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropic mission to create libraries throughout the United States. By the end of his effort, Carnegie had funded over 2,500 libraries. Salem’s library, like those in neighboring Dallas, Albany, and Newberg, was specifically designed to be a public lending library to serve the whole community. The Salem Carnegie Library was located at the corner of State and Winter Streets, and still stands, part of the Willamette University campus.
By 1972, the library had outgrown the 1912 building and relocated to the City of Salem Civic Center, where it shares space with Fire Station 1, the City Council Chambers, and Peace Plaza. The architecture is in the New Brutalist Style, which gives the whole complex a very 1970s vibe. The landscaping helps it feel less stark than brutalist buildings often do, particularly the trees and flowers. In the 1990s, a renovation to the library added 35,000 square feet to the building, and it was further updated for seismic safety in the 2010s. There’s also a West Salem branch of the Salem library, which was founded in 1957. The West Salem branch made it to its current home in 1995, after being housed at Walker Middle School and in a strip mall.
Beyond Books With Salem Library
Like all libraries, the Salem library has a wide array of books – in English and Spanish, fiction and nonfiction, for adults, children, and young adults. As part of the Chemeketa Library System, patrons can also check out ebooks from a list of thousands of titles. The library has a broad selection of book club kits in English and Spanish for book groups. Each bag contains 10 copies of each book and can be checked out for two months at a time. There are also backpacks for children to check out, with themed books and a CD that goes with them.
Books aren’t the only items that patrons can check out at the library. The cultural passes are one-time entry tickets to various attractions throughout the Willamette Valley. Visitors can go to the Oregon Garden, Japanese Garden, or Chinese Garden, the Gilbert House Children’s Museum, Oregon State Parks, Pittock Mansion, or the Evergreen Aviation Museum. The passes are an amazing way to take advantage of some of the great attractions in the area that might be too expensive for families.
The Library of Things is another amazing resource that patrons can check out at the library. From a sewing machine and a pressure washer to cornhole and cake pans, the Library of Things is a way to borrow items that most people don’t need constantly, or are expensive, and patrons might want to try before they buy. The list of items is exhaustive and ranges from arts and crafts to audiovisual equipment and electronics, and even musical instruments and technological gadgets. Patrons can check out one item at a time after signing a waiver, and items can be placed on hold just like anything else at the library.
Library Events for All
Events at the library attempt to appeal to many different groups living in Salem, and all of them are free. Children are the target of many activities that take place at the library. There are weekly storytimes in English for both infants and toddlers and for preschoolers, a weekly Spanish storytime for young children, and a monthly Russian story hour. There are a variety of activities for school-aged children, with many more scheduled during the summer. Kids can read to therapy pets every month, tinker with technology every Tuesday, and participate in different crafts. During the summer, the library schedules more events, from jugglers and drummers to science shows organized by OMSI and the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
Teens are represented as well, particularly in the summer, with murder mystery games, chances to serve on the library leadership council, and opportunities to learn new crafts and skills. Finally, the library is a community education center for adults. There is an ongoing citizenship class that meets weekly, yearly tax assistance, and lectures and explorations almost weekly on a variety of topics, from history and genealogy to food and outdoor sports. Local authors also present their work, and musical groups perform consistently in the auditorium, from baroque chamber music to Mexican folk music.
The Salem Library works to be a resource for the community in all kinds of ways, as evidenced by the variety of items and events. It’s a welcoming place even for those who are unhoused, because they can come and sit during open hours and use the internet freely. For all who live in Salem, the library offers information and entertainment in many different ways as it tries to serve everyone.
Salem Public Library
585 Liberty Street SE, Salem
503.588.6315
