About Your Libraries - Mission & Organization

Mission
Library Bill of Rights
Governance and Funding
Library Administration

Mission

The mission of the Jackson County Library is to preserve intellectual freedom and strengthen the communities it serves by providing open and affordable access to ideas and information.

To achieve its mission, the Jackson County Library has three primary roles:

to be the open door to learning and reading for preschool children;
to give excellent reference assistance to individuals and organizations seeking information;
to provide popular materials for reading, listening and viewing for all ages.

As a secondary role, the library serves as a support center for formal education.

Governance and Funding

Public library services are provided to people by Jackson County government, which is overseen by a Board of Commissioners composed of three persons elected by county residents.

To advise them on library matters, the Board appoints seven citizens to a Library Advisory Committee. The committee meets on the second Monday of each month; minutes for recent meetings are available online. Meetings are open to the public and anyone who wishes may discuss matters with the committee.

Funding for library operations comes from grants, donations, and library fees (approximately 23%) and from Jackson County's General Fund (approximately 77%).

Library Administration

The Library Director is responsible for all day-to-day operations of Jackson County Library Services. The Library Director can be reached at the Medford Library, 205 South Central Avenue, Medford, Oregon 97501, phone: 541-774-8679.