Sheldon Branch marks 25 years, seeks support for library levy

Dozens of families and individuals filled Sheldon Branch on Saturday for a 25th anniversary celebration that doubled as a reminder of how much Eugene’s neighborhood libraries do beyond checkout desks.

The event at the Sheldon Branch Library included arts and crafts for children, live music and a short talk from Mayor Kaarin Knudson. For east Eugene, it was a visible sign that the branch has become a gathering place as much as a library, a spot where children, adults and older residents can use the same public space close to home.

Sheldon Branch supervisor J. Stewart said the celebration was meant to recognize staff work and the community’s support, while also giving people a chance to engage and play. That mix of service and social space is part of what has made neighborhood branches valuable in Eugene, especially for residents who rely on a nearby place to read, study, use computers or connect to the internet without traveling downtown.

The anniversary also came with a political message. Eugene Public Library is asking voters to approve a levy on the May 19 ballot that would raise property taxes by 19 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The current levy, approved in 2020, charges 15 cents per $1,000 and is set to expire. If the new measure passes, it would generate about $4.3 million a year for five years starting July 1, 2026, and an average homeowner would pay about $54 per year.

City materials say the levy is intended to maintain and enhance library operations and services, including 47 open hours a week across all three library locations. That makes the branch anniversary more than a look back at 25 years of use; it is also a vote of confidence in the system’s future.

Eugene’s public library was first chartered in 1904 and opened in 1906. The Bethel and Sheldon branches opened in the fall of 2000, before the current Downtown Library opened in winter 2002. The result is a library system built around both a central core and neighborhood access, a model that has served Eugene for a quarter-century and now depends again on voter support.