I love this library. I started visiting as a child in 1985 after the expansion of the library beautifully brought old and new together, creating a bigger library to serve the community. I started working at the library as an intern in college. I spent over 20 years here as a Children’s Librarian, and now I’m the Library Director coming up on 25 years here at the Newberg Public Library.
My husband proposed to me here at the library. Our children have grown up coming to storytimes, reading in the stacks (and my office), and attending library programs. In 2014 my family was with me as we opened our remodeled and expanded Children’s Library to increase the space for youth by over 40%.
When people visit our library, they comment on how beautiful the space is – especially our Carnegie windows. In 2023 we had restoration work done to the original windows and doors, installing a pane of glass over the original windows and fixing the wood, all thanks to community support and a grant from our Newberg Library Friends group.
When schools come for library tours, we tell them how the Carnegie Library portion is 113 years old now (in 2025) and started with $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie. They marvel at the beautiful wood and gorgeous windows. We tell them to “feel the bump in the floor” where the original part of the library starts. What a gift this space still is to our community.
Our library remains a vibrant, busy center of our community. This last year our materials check-outs were at an all-time high. Our meeting room, the basement of the Carnegie Library, hosted over 400 programs last year. This summer we are fixing a leak in the basement and replacing the carpet to keep the space active and in use for our community. What a beautiful gift to the community our library is, and one that is still giving 113 years later!
