The Salem Public Library is 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 serving

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, United States. The system includes two branches and is a member of the Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service, which serves the Salem metropolitan area.

History

The Salem Public Library was established by the Salem Woman's Club in May 1904, with 50 donated books, and located in the city council chamber beginning later that year. The library board appealed to industrialist

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

to fund the construction of a permanent library, and was granted $27,500. The library, located at the corner of State and Winter streets, opened on September 12, 1912. The Salem Public Library was a founding member of the Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service, a regional reference and catalogue system serving the Mid-Willamette Valley area, when it began in 1974. In 2004, library supporters attempted to create a consolidated library district for Salem, to be funded by a permanent

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inheri ...

, but were rejected by voters in the November 2004 election.

Main Library

The downtown library was relocated to a larger building in the new civic center on July 6, 1972. The library was closed in December 1989 to begin a $5 million renovation, which was completed on January 26, 1991, and added of space. A $18.6 million seismic and safety upgrade was completed in 2021.

West Salem Branch

The Salem Public Library opened a branch in West Salem on October 17, 1957, in the former West Salem city hall. The library moved to a larger, facility at the Oak Hills Shopping Center on April 5, 1987.

References

{{Authority control 1904 establishments in Oregon Education in Marion County, Oregon Libraries established in 1904 Public libraries in Oregon Salem, Oregon