who are increasingly likely to read e-books rather than physical books, and increasingly likely to request physical books online rather than browsing. And other changes simply reflect the changing meaning of libraries — as shared public spaces with no commercial purpose and, increasingly, frontline social services providers. AMONG THE MOST NOTICEABLE changes at the Central Library: The bookshelves are shorter, and there aren’t as many of them. That’s true in the children’s room but also throughout the building, where most — but not all — of the towering shelves have been replaced with 45- or 54-inch shelves. There are several reasons shelves are shorter. In the children’s room, there was a fairly intuitive reason to bring shelf heights down: Tall, cavernous shelves — most were more than seven feet tall — just aren’t accessible for shorter patrons, including new readers. The old shelves were also not accessible to wheelchair users of any height, and the new, shorter shelves are more earthquake-safe. And then there is the matter of security. “When the shelves are lower, you can see across the entire space,” Jarman says, making it easier for staff to monitor behavior in the facility. But the reduced number of shelves may be the most noticeable change — and the one most remarked upon, even before the remodel had finished. In February 2023, Willamette Week reported that the number of books and periodicals available at the Central Library would be reduced by 49.7% after the refresh — from 394,723 to 198,534. “All of us that love libraries, we like to get lost in the books,” Jarman says. Some areas in the Central Library still include high shelves, and the library’s overall circulation has not changed, according to library spokesperson Shawn Cunningham. And in fact, the number of materials in circulation at Central didn’t reduce by as much as anticipated: There are now about 267,000 items on browsable shelves, and about 220,000 are in closed stacks — reserved for items that rarely circulate — at Central. The bond has helped fund the construction of an operations center at Northeast 122nd and Glisan, where physical materials like books and other items can be stored. Cunningham says about 140,000 books were moved from Central to the operations center during the refresh; the site currently holds 273,000 items, and will be able to hold 500,000 items at full capacity. About 40% of checkouts happen through a hold, according to Cunningham, and having a central storage space streamlines Classroom Laptop borrowing station Holds shelves Teen meeting room 23
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