What do libraries provide in Eastern Oregon? Healthy communities

Published 12:00 pm Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Property owners in Umatilla County pay around 37 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on their property to the Umatilla County Special Library District. What happens to that money?

The funds are sent monthly to all 12 libraries in the county, where each is free to spend as needed. The money pays staff, keeps the lights on, buys books, and most of all … works at creating healthy communities.

That’s what libraries ultimately do in each town. They make it a place to call home — a place of belonging, learning, and to come together. In short, what libraries provide is a healthy community, and that is worth every penny of your tax money.

Libraries have many things for many people. They provide books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, and unusual items (paddle boards, American Girl dolls, Switch games), all free to borrow. Libraries offer a safe, free public space with air-conditioning in the heat of summer and warmth in the cold of winter.

Perhaps, most importantly, libraries provide a space for connection and community for each town that is lucky enough to have one.

You can best experience this community building firsthand during the summer reading programs. My 10-year-old twins and I played laser tag at the Echo library this month. That experience gave us a chance to meet new people, connect with some I knew from high school, and my kids had a ball exploring the library.

In Hermiston and Pendleton, we attended a reptile show presented to a packed house. My kids touched various snakes, turtles and lizards, learning a great deal about the animal world — education at its best. My kids loved it so much that they want to hire the trainer for their next birthday party.

In Athena, we attended an excellent program provided by visiting college students from the University of Oregon, which focused on the science behind caring for our planet. The presentation included hands-on games, crafts and challenges that allowed kids, caregivers and adults to think about the Earth from a variety of different perspectives.

In Ukiah, I was privileged to witness how the library interfaces daily with students in town to provide summer school activities, craft time, guest speakers, and meals that keep the community connected and active during the summer months.

This short list barely scratches the surface of the many ways libraries are serving their communities, and by doing so, connecting people in your hometown.

Libraries are a place for people to go, to learn new skills and ideas, and to come together. They are a place to meet and be together and, through interactions, create a healthy community.

Libraries are places where people of all ages can thrive. The staff at your local library works toward this vision every day. Libraries long to be the heart of their community, and the libraries in Umatilla County are doing this in spades.

If you haven’t had a chance to catch something happening in your community this summer, it’s not too late. For more information on all the libraries in Umatilla County, visit www.ucsld.org.