Ledding Library

It cant be sayed enough how impotent it is to bee able to read. If you cant reed well, you cant right well. Your in for a hard time in life witout a proper edumication.
This is y I love too take my sun to the liberry — I want him too bee just as smrt ass hiz good olde Dad. My wife wil take him to the liberry every coupel of weaks to get new books. Grate selection of books four kids.
Remember, reeding is fundamental!

I travel on two buses from Montavilla just to go there. The staff are all splendid, and they exude an air of urbanity whilst remaining friendly and approachable.
And it’s quiet, thank God!
d. h. spider

I’ve only been in here the once and enjoyed it. It felt more like the library I’m used to from my childhood than the modern city libraries I’ve become used to. Seeing how you can request books from anywhere in the county, I’m not too worried about what they have on the shelves. I haven’t been to any other Clackamas libraries, so I don’t know how it compares.
They have the Cultural Passes which get you in to local museums and parks for free (or discounted price).
I even heard one of the librarians say hello to someone by name. My kind of library!
I would be happy to have this library down the street.

Basically the best library I could imagine and it’s in my neighborhood!
1. It’s way bigger than I thought it’d be on the inside. All kids stuff is downstairs (awesome for me, being child free, I don’t want to see kids…). So WYSIWYG on the main level.
2. The book lists! I have never been to a library that had such thoughtful and creatively curated lists. Right now, I have a few from the American authors list, Vonnegut, Eudora Welty and Faulkner. They also recently had a list from the NY public library with works from characters on Mad Men (I assume books the characters were seen reading on the series). I was curious about Pete Campbell’s…The Crying of Lot 49. Pynchon is weird though so I couldn’t get into it.
3. The perks. The cultural enrichment passes (all are free to rent for a day except the PAM which is $ 5). This joint also does free concerts. I happened to pass by during a concert by Hyatus and they sounded good! I think it’s a sweet idea to do little concerts at the library. And during warmer months (starting NOW) they do their concerts outside at the amphitheater by the duck pond. SWEET. The crowd was into it and it makes for a nice casual afternoon out of the house.
A couple other little notes. First 5 pages of printing are free. Holds are at the front desk (you have to talk to a person to retreive them… minus one star for that). The few things I’ve requested, I got pretty fast (like a week or so). They have a large collection of dvds and tv on the shelf, larger than what I’ve seen at most branches of MultCoLib (Belmont, Sellwood, Holgate at least!)
Now, if you don’t appreciate all that, show me where the real library magic is. I can’t imagine a better library.

I’ve been coming here for over thirty years, and I just turned 37. Today my five year old got her own card. I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad interaction with library staff in all this time! (I was a hyper kid and I now have my own noisy kid, so we’ve tested their patience plenty over the last three decades.)
Sure, it’s a vintage building and not the hugest library, but it’s comfortable and you can always tap into the much larger library network to reserve what you need.
Great, kind of campy-​but-​fun, activities for kids, on a schedule that includes SAHP and employed parents. I’m kind of sad you can’t just wade down to the pond and throw food at the wildlife anymore, like I did as a kid, but the new nature area is much healthier for the creatures and you can explore the newer raised observation area without getting goose sh** all over your feet… which is an improvement!

While clearly better than the Clackamas system libraries at Oak Grove and Gladstone, Milwaukie’s Ledding Library is a-​ok and not much more than that. They have what you need and the service you receive is fine, with it being more attentive from reference librarians and more perfunctory at check out.
On the plus side, this is the only system library that feels like it’s part of a Small Town USA’s downtown, complete with other city services, down home diners, mom and pop stores, and a transit hub, with the new MAX Orange Line taking you practically right next to the library come September 12^th!
On the negative side, the way you’re shoehorned in there and the way the library is shoehorned onto the site almost make you feel claustrophobic. As someone mentioned, the lower level is for kids so, for those who have kids, that’s a good thing. Better you than me! However, this library needs to be redone sooner than later.
Lastly, the Ledding Library has a pond next to the parking lot that is a haven for geese and ducks … which people should NOT be feeding. U of O alums, students, parents, aficionados, and «pick up truck alumni,» take note!
I’m not being an ass. «Pick up truck alumni» is an expression I learned while a resident of Atlanta and some Southerners can put it out there while, sadly, a few sugar coat. That expression is a keeper!
So, in the end, the Ledding Library in the center of Milwaukie is a satisfactory library, but not one that you might look forward to going to, as is the case for me with the libraries at West Linn and Wilsonville.

This library is the best! Hands down. Great staff, great location. Great kids selection, great kids programs. Love it!

My local neighborhood library and I just love it. It’s small, but mighty, there are a lot of community functions going on in this tiny little building, including —
Arts and Crafts
Concert series (outside)
Cultural Passes for check-​out (Chinese Garden, Pittock Mansion, etc.)
Book groups and story time for kids
Fundraisers for needs in the ‘hood
Author readings at the Pond House*
Puppy Tales (reading with therapy dogs!)
Knit Night
*Pond House is an adorable extension on the other side of the pond, with many different sales and events of its own.
Part of the Clackamas County Library System, aka the LINCC network, this location isn’t flashy or recently renovated like the others (Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, West Linn) but it definitely fills a need and the area would not be the same without it. I’d say most amenities here are for children, and must also point out that this location has an impressive DVD collection. Given its overall size, the DVD area here is massive! TONS of excellent and premium TV series in addition to films. I stalk those… You better believe I know when they get a new season of any HBO/​Showtime series!
Online search and reserve system and access to the rest of the LINCC network from their website — you can have items sent to this location from any other in the county. It is not the most high tech facility I’ve ever been to, but what they do here, they do well. It’s more geared toward kiddos, but there’s still something for everyone, including a shared computer area, with 5 – 6 computers for public use.
The Cultural Passes are awesome: check out ‘free’ entry into a list of fun Portland destinations. Godspeed, little library on the pond.