As early as 1843, the first settlers pooled their books to establish the Multnomah Circulation Library of Willamette Falls, which is thought to have been the first library in the Oregon Territory.

In 1909, Oregon City began planning for its first municipal library with a grant from Andrew Carnegie, and in June 1913, the library moved into the new Carnegie Library.

A long history of supporting the library in Oregon City will be showcased during the week of Oct. 21 to 27 as the city joins the rest of the nation to honor volunteers during National Friends of Libraries Week.

“This will be the sixth-annual national celebration commemorating volunteers who contribute so many hours in support of our libraries,” said Lynda Orzen, chairwoman of Friends of the Oregon City Library.

In 2011, through the support of the Friends volunteers at the Oregon City Farmers Market book sales, volunteers donated 400 hours throughout the season, only taking off days when rainy weather would not permit book sales.

The 31 Friends of Library Bookstore volunteers donated 3,735 hours of their time behind the cash register, shelving books, sorting books and greeting customers.

The total volunteer hours for the 2010-11 fiscal year was a remarkable 4,135 hours.

Using the National Points of Light volunteer equivalent pay of $18.47 per hour, the friends volunteers donated $76,365 hours of their time to support the Oregon City Library.

Library Director Maureen Cole says that the friends supported the library through some very lean years and continue to provide support in multiple ways.

“The friends made a real difference in the years prior to the district,” Cole said. “Now that we have stable funding, they continue to help us with equipment and programs. Last year, they bought a $5,000 disc cleaner, which has made a real difference in the quality and longevity of DVDs and CDs. The friends are wonderful.”