Multnomah County Library scan-in.jpg

Children stand outside the library's Rural Service truck in this 1936 shot. Do you know who any of the children are, or where this photo was taken? Let us know!

(Courtesy of Multnomah County Library)

If you forgot to return a Multnomah County Library book 40 years ago, librarians are looking for you.

But they're not seeking long-delayed payment of the fines you've amassed over the decades. They just want to take a look at the book.

In honor of the library's 150th anniversary this year, library staff are inviting community members to share historical artifacts connected to the oldest library system West of the Mississippi River.

During several "Community Scan-In" events starting this weekend, library staff are asking residents to bring their old photos, pamphlets, letters and other items with a connection to the county library system. Staff members will scan the artifacts onto a computer, and many of them will be included in a public database of the library's history.

The project, titled "150 Years of Library Memories," is modeled after a similar digital collection created last year to celebrate the Central Library's 100th anniversary. That project only included items from the library's collection.

"This time, we wanted to see what the community could contribute," said Terrilyn Chun, the library's programming and community outreach manager.

Cataloging Librarian Erica Findley is organizing the event. The Library Foundation is paying for her work. Findley hopes residents bring in old photographs of librarians reading to their mothers, postcards or letters recounting visits to the library, pamphlets or slides that have been stashed away in residents' attics for years. She also hopes to find items she doesn't expect.

"It's open to whatever they can think of as long as it's something we can lay flat and scan," Findley said.

Findley and her team will publish the top 500 or so items in the online collection.

The first scan-in is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Gresham Library, with more to come at the Belmont, Midland, Hillsdale and Kenton branches. If you have an item to scan in, be sure to sign up for a time slot online, or by calling your library branch.

Participants can bring up to three items for scanning, and each item must be no larger than 8.5 by 11.7 inches. Library staff will provide participants with a USB drive containing their scanned file.

If you'd like library officials to organize a scan-in at your nearest branch, you can apply online.

Once Findley and her team finish collecting items, they'll undergo a massive effort to find out details about each artifact. Where did it come from? When was it made? If it's a photograph, who is pictured, what are they doing, and where are they?

The above photo, of a group of children standing next to the library's Rural Service truck, was taken in 1936. The exact location and the identities of the children in the photo are unknown. Do you know who those little ones are, or where they're standing? Comment below, email me at khouse@oregonian.com, or call me at 503-22108178 to let me know!

--Kelly House