Multnomah County Central Library, Portland

I am unsure why we need such a large police presence at the library. I had moved a chair somewhat close to a door. The door was not blocked. Within 30 seconds I was surrounded by police and library workers scolding me on safety measures and telling me I could not sit there. They made me feel as if I was breaking the law and embarrassed me in front of all the people in the area. I was reading in a corner, does that require a police response? Why do we have all this police authority in the library? The library should be a place where people come to learn and use resources they might not be able to afford on their own. I think we could find a much better use for the tax money it takes to police the library.

This place smells...20% of the people here are homeless, ok fine, but of that 20% probably half are derelict or mentality unfit. I actually wouldn't be too bothered if it didn't smell like piss and body odor. What can we do about that? They have just as much a right to be a part of a public library as anyone else, unless they only admit members calable of acquiring a library card. It sucks because libraries are almost sacred ground. I wish I had an answer.

I don't have a computer so I use the library for that. This is the only place I know of where I can do this. I navigated doing my taxes twice and got invaluable assistence from library staff. They have never turned down a request for help and allways came thru for me. Life changeing. Thank you!!

You'd be best carrying a giant can of Raid with you because this too-noisy/understaffed library has a horde of smelly, scummy homeless people who use and abuse this place out the kazoo. They look up porn on the Internet computers, and the staff does nothing. They harass and hit you up for money, and the staff does nothing. They're practically taking baths in the bathrooms and sleeping in the stalls, and the staff does nothing about it. I won't let either of my teenage daughters darken the doors of this place unattended without an adult. I remember when libraries used to be clean and quiet, not a day-room for career-panhandling losers who're too lazy to gets jobs. Ugh.

Wow! I go there all the time and I've never ONCE been hit in by a homeless person or witnessed anyone else having issues.i don't snoop and worry about what others are looking at on the internet however, the staff is courteous and helpful and the books and dvds available are wonderful. Go!