County libraries now honoring student ID cards

Posted November 2020

By Elizabeth Philbrick

Staff Editor

All district K-12 students can now use their school student ID to access Multnomah County Library services, just like a regular library card.

The new program, Library Connect, allows around 9,600 students to instantly use digital books, magazines, newspapers, music, and movies without fines or fees. They can also get help from online tutors. This program is the result of a partnership between the Multnomah County Library and David Douglas School District. Access to Library Connect in Centennial, Gresham-Barlow, and Parkrose districts are coming soon.

"This partnership has been in the works since before our COVID-19 school closure, but launching now is an especially beneficial time for our students and families," said Superintendent Ken Richardson. "Our students will now have online access to a huge variety of reading and educational materials. And once this pandemic is over, the fact that every student in David Douglas will automatically be a library cardholder is a big step forward to providing equitable access to educational support for all our students."

Library Connect accounts were created automatically. The username to accounts is the school district code, 40, plus the student’s ID number, while the default password is the student’s eight-digit birthdate. The library encourages students to change their passwords.

If a student already has a library account, their Library Connect number has been added to their account. Either number may be used to access online resources or borrow materials.

“The library is proud to serve David Douglas students with this new service when support for educational needs has never been more important,” said Director of Libraries Vailey Oehlke. “When we work together to meet urgent community needs in challenging times, we can do incredible things.”