Libraries of Eastern Oregon: A Shared Resource

Rural public libraries are essential to the vitality of rural communities. Beyond ‘the place to borrow books,’ libraries can serve a multitude of community functions: the polling place, the host of community gatherings, summer student lunch distribution and more.  The bigger challenges facing Oregon’s public libraries are not lack of purpose or keeping up with the times, but how to find funding to support all the community needs.

Across America, public libraries are primarily funded (85.9% of total revenue) through local government sources such as city and county taxes. In Oregon, public libraries receive small, targeted state grants, and there is no direct federal funding for public libraries. So how do the rural communities support their public libraries?

Fortunately, one region of the state has a supportive coalition on their side, Libraries of Eastern Oregon. LEO is a nonprofit that empowers the 39 public library systems in its network to function as a network rather than isolated entities. Together, they serve residents across nearly 60,000 square miles. LEO enables efficiencies, collaboration and a sharing of resources: a Library of Things and technology platforms that would otherwise be financially unfeasible. LEO works in conjunction with Sage Library Systems, a consortium that manages and shares a catalog of books across Central and Eastern Oregon. 

LEO advocates for private grant funding to support the 300,000+ rural library members. “A lot of the things that libraries need are not flashy, and so they become very, very hard to fundraise for or obtain funding for,” said LEO Executive Director, Stephanie Chase, who spoke on season 2 of the Funding Rural Podcast. “There’s just no wiggle room in most libraries’ budgets.” But with an organization like LEO by their side, there are more advocates to seek funding from private grants and other sources.

LEO forged a partnership with the Roundhouse Foundation several years ago through the small grants application process. At that time, LEO and the State Library of Oregon were hosting an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion cohort project, which the Foundation supported on the community level. Since that initial work together, LEO, Roundhouse Foundation and other partners have come together to support innovative library projects. There was a collaborative project with OSU’s Extension service to pair Extension faculty and libraries together to develop and promote a food preservation-focused Library of Things program; another grant supported LEO’s strategic plan, funding a member survey and allowing LEO to visit every member-library in person as part of the engagement process. The most recent grant funded the Discover and Go cultural pass program, a museum and library partnership with digital passes for library members. 

 “Equally valuable have been the connections through this partnership — to our state extension service, to Oregon Public Radio, to small nonprofits seeking to promote their cultural work in Eastern Oregon” said Chase. 

LEO was formed in 2000 and serves 50 public libraries in 16 Eastern Oregon counties: Baker, Crook, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jefferson, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, and Wheeler. Learn more about LEO.