The Douglas County Library System (DCLS) was a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

system in

Douglas County, Oregon Douglas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 111,201. The county seat is Roseburg. The county is named after Stephen A. Douglas, an American politician who supported Orego ...

, United States. The library system was founded in 1953 and operated eleven branches across Douglas County at the time of its closure in 2017.

History

Douglas County's first library was established in 1912 to serve Myrtle Creek. The Myrtle Creek library was followed by other local systems in Roseburg, Reedsport,

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

Drain Drain may refer to: Objects and processes * Drain (plumbing), a fixture that provides an exit-point for waste water or for water that is to be re-circulated on the side of a road * Drain (surgery), a tube used to remove pus or other fluids from ...

, Yoncalla, and Sutherlin in the 1920s and 1930s. The Douglas County Library System was established in 1953, based in Roseburg and operating eight branches across the county. Two new libraries were built for Winston and Riddle in the 1960s, and in 1994, a new main branch was opened in Roseburg. The system was funded by the county government, which was heavily reliant on declining

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

es on timber harvests on federal land, and began budget reductions in 1982. The expiration of the federal Secure Rural Schools program in 2015 further constrained funding for Douglas County, forcing the system to run on grants from the

Ford Family Foundation Hallie Brown Ford (March 17, 1905 – June 4, 2007) was an American business person and philanthropist. A native of Oklahoma, she acquired her wealth in Oregon through the timber industry. As a philanthropist she made donations to many instit ...

until a public vote on funding could be held in 2016. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners voted in June 2016 to place a

ballot measure A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

asking to create a public library district and fund it using a property tax of 44 cents per $1,000 in assessed value. During the November 2016 election, the library ballot measure was rejected by 55 percent of Douglas County voters. After the failure of the ballot measure, the county government sought other funding solutions, opting to run through the end of June with funds from the county's general fund. The ten branch locations of the library system closed on April 1, 2017. The Roseburg main branch closed on May 31, 2017, and library supporters held a

wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...

during its final evening in service. The Douglas County system became the third county library system in Oregon to be closed, after Jackson and Josephine counties closed their systems in 2007. Both systems later re-opened under non-government management in limited capacity.

Branches

At the time of its closure in 2017, the system operated eleven branches in the cities of Canyonville,

, Myrtle Creek,

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, Reedsport, Riddle, Roseburg, Sutherlin, Winston, and Yoncalla. By the following year, nine branches had reopened under the care of volunteers with grants from city governments as well as private donations and fundraisers. The City of Roseburg reopened its library in January 2019, following a year of planning.

References

{{Authority control 1953 establishments in Oregon 2017 disestablishments in Oregon County library systems in Oregon Douglas County, Oregon Libraries established in 1953