Kenton Library, Public library in North Portland, United States.
Kenton Library is a public library spanning two floors at North Denver Avenue with reading spaces and learning materials for the community. The facility provides access to books, computers, and other resources to support daily life and education.
The library was established in 2010 to expand services across the Multnomah County Library system in North Portland. This opening brought modern facilities and resources to an area that previously had limited access to public libraries.
The branch's name comes from the Kenton neighbourhood, whose library service began in 1903 with a small collection lent through a nearby school. Two reading rooms, the Peninsular and the St. Johns, opened in 1907 with 200 to 300 books each, and the University Park Reading Room followed a year later.
The library occupies a remodeled 1951 storefront at 8226 N. Denver Avenue, expanded to 6,000 square feet. It sits in the Kenton block improved in 2010 with new pavement, wider sidewalks, trees and planter boxes. The branch closed temporarily in 2025 for interior renovations funded by a 2020 building bond.
Kenton Library was the first branch in the Multnomah County Library system to have its entire collection tagged with radio-frequency identification devices before opening. The tags trigger a door alarm if an item is not properly checked out, and staff can scan whole shelves with a hand wand or a stack of books on a flat scanner.
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