Deschutes Public Library outlines growth plans

The Deschutes Public Library is approaching its 100 th birthday and looks forward to serving Deschutes County residents for 100 more years. To prepare for a dynamic next chapter, the library has completed a Facilities Capital Plan that is the culmination of two years of intensive study and substantial community involvement.

The plan announced Friday outlines a vision for future library spaces and services needed to meet the demands of the 21st century and to keep pace with Deschutes County’s rapid population growth. The process included extensive outreach to more than 1,600 stakeholders and community members throughout the county.

The library system said it needs to expand in order to keep up with the area’s growing population. Despite the recent trends in technology that puts vast information at everyone’s fingertips, the libraries still have more visitors in three months than the High Desert Museum sees in an entire year.

The capital projects element of the full plan, available to view online at https://bit.ly/2QakaKO, calls for holding to a maximum of six libraries, but with some big changes along the way, as funding allows.

With the lease on the East Bend Library expiring in 2021, the plan’s developers recommend moving to a new Central Library of at least 95,000 square feet, moving administrative offices there as well.

The Redmond Library should be expanded to at least 40,000 square feet, it said, while the downtown Bend, La Pine and Sisters libraries need renovations to address maintenance needs and modernize services. The plan also recommends renovating the Sunriver Library or moving it to a more central location.

“As we approach the 100th year anniversary of libraries in Deschutes County, the library board and staff feel a keen sense of responsibility for ensuring we have adequate space and flexible facilities to meet the needs of our growing population for decades to come,” Library Board President Ann Malkin said. “The Capital Plan is our first step to address these needs and plan for a bright future for all of our communities in Deschutes County.”

The Capital Plan provides an innovative vision for library spaces and services, such as:

· Hands-on children discovery centers

· Flexible spaces that allow for innovation and collaboration such as creative/maker activities, tutoring assistance, business meetings and other gatherings

· Expanding the digital and physical library collections and providing easier browsability

· Performance space for cultural programs to serve Deschutes County

· Premier technology hubs and training centers

“The library board reviewed the Capital Plan thoroughly and reached consensus on the framework laid out in the document,” stated Malkin. “We’ve done our homework and know how much the citizens of Deschutes County love and rely on their libraries as a source of learning, entertainment and culture.”

According to Library Director Todd Dunkelberg, the next steps are to work with architects and the community to consider future building development and partnerships.

“This report offers an exciting roadmap to a robust, interactive library that builds on our past success and transitions our services to reflect the changing needs of our community,” Dunkelberg said. “We are eager to begin.”

And of course, the big issue would be funding those improvements. The county’s libraries were in frequent headlines and faced numerous cutbacks when they were part of the county’s budget years ago as it struggled to provide adequate funding, until voters approved a separate library district close to 20 years ago, around the time the new downtown Bend library was built.

“The first thing we’ll do is look at what can we afford with our current library budget and our current savings,” Dunkelberg said Friday. “We’d look at grants, we’d look at donations, we’d look at sponsorships, we’d look at what we can do with partners.

“At the end of that, if we still are not able to meet the dollar amount to get to that we’d have to look at going out for a bond to help pay for that,” he said.