On May 16, Multnomah County Library celebrated a major milestone — the grand opening of its new flagship location, East County Library in Gresham, Oregon, and their largest library project since 1913. Designed by Holst Architecture, the 95,000-square-foot civic building represents a significant investment in community access, learning and cultural inclusion.

Excited officials ceremoniously cut the ribbon and community members eagerly streamed into the building to explore the collections, 200-seat auditorium, maker space, indoor/outdoor children’s play area, teen room, audiovisual studio, sensory rooms and views from the rooftop terrace.

East County Library is one of the final projects in a major bond-funded modernization and expansion of the Multnomah County’s library system. It also marks the final implementation of the Mayer/Reed-designed collection and wayfinding sign standards, creating a cohesive experience across all Multnomah County Library branches.

The system is designed to increase accessibility to the county’s diverse populations through multilingual and icon-based wayfinding. It is the first known library sign system in the nation to accommodate 5 languages and a testament to the county’s “We speak your language” approach to serving the community.

Increasing visibility in the community with boldly branded site identity signs is also core to the standards. Across a range of building styles and configurations, the blue and green county logo is welcomely familiar. In addition to the branded identity, Mayer/Reed collaborated with Holst to deboss the building name permanently into the board-formed concrete building exterior above the entrances at the East County Library, a mass timber design landmark. These words will endure, as will the community impact of the new library.