The construction of the new Port Orford Library in 2007 and its subsequent (re)opening (from it’s previous location in much smaller quarters when it shared the Port Orford City Hall building) was a period of time in the town’s recent history that no resident will soon forget. Early planning meetings are documented in this issue of the Downtown Fun Zone (Vol. 14 Number 11).

It was an incredible undertaking spearheaded by Tobe Porter who was head librarian at that time. Below is an article written by her for the Oregon Library Association Quarterly in 2005:

Suddenly A New Library - Tobe Porter
OLA Quarterly, Vol. 11 No. 2/3 2005.
Suddenly A New Library - Tobe Porter
OLA Quarterly, Vol. 11 No. 2/3 2005.

Building Old Port Orford Library-20th Street-November-2007-Malamud
Old Port Orford Library Building when it was located on 20th Street where Port Orford City Hall and the Port Orford Police Department is today.
Old Port Orford Library Sign. Photo by Rebecca Malamud.
Building Port Orford Library-Construction-10-November-2007-Malamud
Port Orford Library Construction Begins!
Building Port Orford Library-Construction-8-November-2007-Malamud
Port Orford Library Construction, November 5 2007. Photo by Rebecca Malamud.
Building Port Orford Library-Construction-14-November-2007-Malamud
Port Orford Library Construction, November 14 2007, during a winter storm.
Building Port Orford Library-Construction-12-December-2007-Malamud
Port Orford Library Construction, November 14 2007, during a winter storm. This little setback didn’t derail the spirit behind this community project.

The Opening Day occurred and coincided with the Port Orford Jubilee when the whole town showed up to celebrate the beginning of the new library. The event was covered on July 10, 2008, by The Downtown Fun Zone (Vol. 19 Number 26).

Building Port Orford Library-Construction-1-July-2008-Malamud
Port Orford Library Construction, July 2008. Photo by Rebecca Malamud.
Building Port Orford Library-Construction-15-July-2008-Malamud
Building Port Orford Library Construction, July 15 2008. Photo by Rebecca Malamud.

You can see more photos of the construction of the Port Orford Library in the Port Orford Historical Photos Archive.

If you have any photographs of the construction of the library or the opening day festivities that you would like to share with our project, please contact us! Details are on our “Participate in the Project” page.

Line art schematic of the Port Orford Library by Levi Thompson.

Also, if you would like the complete backstory on our excellent town library, check out this post by a volunteer which excerpts Shirley Nelson’s “Home At Last: the journey of Port Orford Public Library from a traveling borrowed collection in 1921 to a home of its own in 2008.”