Portland State University Library

What Portland State University Library does

Portland State University Library is the academic library system of Portland State University, a public university in the Oregon state system. Founded in 1953, the library serves PSU students, faculty, and staff, and extends public access to community members and distance users. Its operations are organized around three functional pillars: discovery and access (PSU Library Catalog on Ex Libris Primo, subject and course guides, interlibrary loan via the Summit consortium), digital scholarship and publishing (PDXScholar institutional repository with over 33,000 works and 12+ million downloads, PDXOpen OER textbook collection, academic publishing support, ORCID integration), and stewardship of unique collections (Special Collections and University Archives, the Dark Horse Comics archive, the Gary and Pat Leiser Middle East collection, the Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library, and Federal Depository Library holdings). The library also operates physical services including study rooms, equipment loans, course reserves, and a 24/7 chat reference service via Answerland.

The library is funded primarily through Oregon state appropriations and Portland State University's institutional budget, with supplemental funding from external grants (IMLS, NEH, Oregon Cultural Trust, Juan Young Trust, Network of the National Library of Medicine, Consulate General of Canada) and private donations through the PSU Foundation. Personnel comprise approximately 49 library faculty and staff plus 30+ student workers. The library operates under a Dean of Library Services and is governed by Portland State University's academic administration. Mergers and acquisitions are not applicable; the library is a non-commercial public institution.

The physical Millar Library building at 1875 SW Park Avenue suffered damage in May 2024 from a fire safety system incident, requiring closure and a pop-up library operation in Smith Memorial Student Union before reopening on September 16, 2024. New Dean Xan Arch began her role on August 1, 2024, succeeding interim dean Michael Bowman. The library's strategic focus areas include open educational resources, equitable collection development, research impact infrastructure (ORCID), and preservation of regional and Pacific Northwest history.

Name

Portland State University Library

Legal name

Portland State University Library

Website

https://library.pdx.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Portland State University Library is a public academic library serving PSU students, faculty, staff, and community members with the Primo/Ex Libris catalog, PDXScholar institutional repository, Special Collections, and Federal Depository government documents, funded through state appropriations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Educational Support Services (611710), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Academic library services
• Institutional repository
• Special collections archives
• Research support services
• Information literacy instruction

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. University Funding: Primary funding through Portland State University institutional budget allocation for library operations, collections, and staffing.
2. Grants: External grant funding from various organizations including IMLS, NEH, Oregon Cultural Trust, and others for specific projects, collections, and digitization efforts.
3. Donations: Private donations through PSU Foundation for library support, scholarships, and special collections (e.g., Gary and Pat Leiser Collection, Armonica Marie Gilford Collection, Dark Horse Comics Collection).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Portland State University Library is the academic library of Portland State University, providing research collections, study spaces, instruction, scholarly publishing support, and access to digital and physical resources. It operates PDXScholar, an institutional repository hosting over 33,000 scholarly works, and supports a federal depository library program, special collections including rare books and the Dark Horse Comics archive, course reserves, interlibrary loan, and open educational resources (PDXOpen) for the PSU community and the broader public.

Product overview

Portland State University Library operates as a comprehensive academic library system offering a unified suite of research and learning services. The core platform is the PSU Library Catalog (Primo), which provides unified discovery across all collections. Key products include PDXScholar, the institutional repository hosting over 33,000 PSU works with specialized collections like OSCDL and PDXOpen (OER textbooks); Special Collections & University Archives with rare materials including the Dark Horse Comics Collection; and the Government Information collection as a Federal Depository Library. Supporting services span Course Reserves, Subject Guides, Interlibrary Loan, Study Rooms & Equipment, Ask a Librarian reference support, Digital Exhibits, and Academic Publishing Support including open access policy administration and journal hosting. All services are integrated with external platforms including ORCID, WorldCat, Google Scholar, Zotero, and the Summit consortium for resource sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PDXScholar: Institutional repository for Portland State University hosting research, scholarship, and creative works of faculty, staff, and students
• PDXOpen
• Gary and Pat Leiser Collection
• Armonica Marie Gilford Collection
• Dark Horse Comics Collection
• Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library (OSCDL)
• Butler Award for Library Service

Products and services

• PSU Library Catalog (Primo EXPLORE) Primary discovery system and online public access catalog for searching books, articles, media, and other library materials, using the Primo EXPLORE platform from Ex Libris.
• PDXScholar Institutional Repository Open access institutional repository hosting over 33,000 PSU-produced articles, presentations, videos, post-prints, and other scholarly works, powered by the bepress/Digital Commons platform.
• Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library (OSCDL) Searchable web-based digital library of urban planning reports, correspondence, meeting minutes, digital images, and maps documenting growth and change in Oregon from the 1920s through 2006.
• PDXOpen (Open Educational Resources) Open access textbook and open educational resources collection within PDXScholar designed to reduce student textbook costs through freely available course materials; estimated savings of over $500,999 for PSU students over 10 years.
• Course Reserves Digital and physical class materials, including textbooks and other course-specific resources, made available by instructors for student access.
• Special Collections & University Archives Stewardship of rare books, manuscripts, university records, and historical materials including the Dark Horse Comics Collection, Gary and Pat Leiser Middle East Collection, African American history materials, and over 100 years of university and community history.
• Government Information & Maps Federal Depository Library Program collection providing public access to federal government documents, maps, and publications.
• Interlibrary Loan & Article Delivery Service enabling borrowing of materials from other libraries and delivery of article copies from external sources, including access through the Summit consortium for regional academic resource sharing.
• Study Rooms & Equipment Loans Reservable study spaces including group study rooms, presentation practice rooms, family study rooms, and loanable equipment such as two-week laptops, calculators, and cameras.
• Ask a Librarian (Reference Service) Reference and research assistance via chat, email, and in-person consultations with subject librarians, supplemented by 24/7 chat coverage through the Answerland partnership.
• Digital Exhibits Online exhibitions showcasing unique collections including historical photographs, archival materials, and curated thematic displays.
• Academic Publishing Support Services including open access policy administration, copyright and fair use guidance, data management planning, journal hosting through PDXScholar, and ORCID integration for tracking scholarly outputs.
• Library Instruction Services Educational sessions and workshops on information literacy, research skills, database usage, citation management with Zotero, and citation styles for students and faculty.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $500,999 saved for PSU students through OER adoption over 10 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Library partnered with TREC in 2016 to preserve and distribute all of their Research Reports, Project Briefs, Friday Seminar Series presentations, and Webinar Series presentations into PDXScholar. Expanded in 2018 to include datasets.
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and American Library Association (ALA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013PSU Library was one of 840 libraries selected to receive Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, a collection of books and films to familiarize Americans with Islam and cultural heritage of Islamic civilizations.
• Portland JACLminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Oregon Cultural Trust awarded $5,000 (matched by $5,000 from Portland JACL) to support identifying, organizing and preserving Portland JACL historical records spanning 1930s to 1980s.
• Western Oregon UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Consortial endeavor led by Western Oregon University for Governor's Papers Project focusing on processing, preserving and promoting access to Oregon gubernatorial collections.
• Network of the National Library of Medicine Region 5minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Awarded $1,500 Collections Equity Award to PSU Library for purchasing books supporting Native, Indigenous, and Pacific Islander health.
• Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Original partners include Portland State University (Library and Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning), Metro, City of Portland Archives, and City Club of Portland. OSCDL provides electronic access to urban planning documents via searchable web-based database.
• Consulate General of CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Annual Canadian Studies Library Support Grant matching award ($2,000 or more annually) to strengthen Canadian Studies holdings in support of teaching and research.
• AnswerlandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor24/7 online chat reference service partnership. PSU Library staffs the service during typical business hours and into the early evening. After hours, Answerland partners answer chat questions from Portland State users.
• Oregon Black PioneersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical society dedicated to preserving and presenting Black history in Oregon. Partnership for preservation of historic photographs from Portland's Albina neighborhood.
• Open Oregon Educational ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-funded initiative to support open education efforts across Oregon's community colleges and public universities. Provides grants and training to support instructors in creating, adapting, or adopting open textbooks and other open course materials. 170 PSU faculty and staff have participated since 2015.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stanford Libraries: Elite private research university library with significantly larger special collections and digital infrastructure. Comparable as a research-intensive academic library but operates at materially greater scale, endowment, and global influence.
• University of Washington Libraries: Larger Pacific Northwest research library with substantially greater scale, broader special collections, and more extensive digital infrastructure. Comparable as a public research university library in the same regional ecosystem but materially larger and broader in scope.

Direct peers

• Reed College Library: Smaller private liberal arts college library also located in Portland, Oregon. Comparable in operating a focused special collections program and serving a defined academic community, though smaller in scale and research orientation than PSU Library.
• University of Oregon Libraries: Academic research library at Oregon's other major public research university, with comparable special collections, government depository status, and institutional repository (Scholars' Bank). Highly comparable as a peer Oregon state-system university library serving faculty, students, and the broader community.
• University of Portland Library (Clark Library): Another Portland-area academic library previously led by Xan Arch. Comparable as a regional private university library offering instruction, research support, and special collections to a defined student community.
• Oregon State University Libraries and Press: Peer library in the same Oregon state public university system, with overlapping services including institutional repository (ScholarsArchive), special collections, federal depository status, and open access publishing operations. Direct peer in funding structure, scale, and mission.

Others

• Orbis Cascade Alliance: Pacific Northwest academic library consortium of which PSU Library is a member, enabling resource sharing, collective licensing, and shared infrastructure (Summit). Comparable as the consortium ecosystem in which PSU Library operates and through which it delivers interlibrary loan and shared services.

Regional players

• University of British Columbia Library: Major Pacific Northwest academic library with comparable open access, scholarly communication, and special collections functions. Comparable as a large research library neighbor in the same broader region, though operating under a different national/provincial funding structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/psulibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portland-state-university-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portland State University Library