Multnomah County Library's Bryan Fearn Talks Upcoming Events, New Technology

GRESHAM, OR — Bryan Fearn is the Gresham Regional Library Manager at Multnomah County Library. We talked with him recently to find out more about The Gresham Library's Thinking Money grant, which the library applied for and won this year. The grant comes from the American Library Association to benefit teen financial literacy. He also talked about how he first got his start working at a library and detailed upcoming technological advances at Multnomah County Libraries.

Patch: How long have you lived in the Gresham area?

Bryan Fearn: I am a native Oregonian and have lived in East Multnomah County for the past six years.

Patch: What's your favorite thing about Gresham in the fall?

Bryan Fearn: Outside of the fall colors coming into full bloom, the Downtown Farmer’s Market, and main street trick or treating -- a trick or treating event in the historic downtown Gresham area -- are two of my favorite things.

Patch: How did you first get started working at libraries?

Bryan Fearn: When I was kid growing up, I often visited my local library to read and check out materials. I remember my hometown library being big and spacious. I enjoyed looking up subjects in the card catalog (yes, before it was computerized).

Patch: What do patrons have to look forward to at the library in 2017?

Bryan Fearn: There is always lots happening at the library. You can stream music, TV shows and movies to your TV, laptop or tablet. You can read The Economist and National Geographic on your iPad. You can participate in a discussion around civic issues, practice a second language with others, research you home’s history, get a manual to repair your specific make, model and year of car and so much more. All of this information is available at our website, multcolib.org, which is also available in Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and Simplified Chinese.

The Gresham Library applied for and received from the American Library Association a grant for Teen Financial Literacy entitled Thinking Money. For six weeks beginning February 3, 2017, a large exhibit and financial literacy programs will happen within our library targeting young adults. The purpose of the exhibit and accompanying programs is to provide an educational opportunity for teens and their parents around financial literacy topics.

Patch: What are some recent technological advances at the library that people should check out?

Bryan Fearn: We have a touch screen “Light Document Station” that staff and patrons adore. This new piece of technology allows patrons to scan anything into a pdf file, photo, or editable word document that they can then email, save to a flash drive or print. The Light Document Station also allows patrons the opportunity to fax documents anywhere in the United States. Scanning and faxing are free of charge and only require an email address and about five to 10 minutes to complete. This is very popular and easy to use and if a patron does get stuck library staff are always available to assist.

To learn more about upcoming Multnomah County Library events, follow them on Twitter. You can also visit the Gresham Public Library's website to find out about upcoming events and to chat with a librarian 24/7.