‘It’s a grave disappointment:’ Users weigh in on East Bend Library’s planned closure; plans afoot for kiosks, more books

(Update: East Bend Library users, library director speak on decision to close location next year)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Nearly 15 years after it opened as what officials call a "temporary solution," the East Bend Library on Dean Swift Road will close by the end of next year, as the Deschutes Public Library Board decided recently not to renew the lease that expires Dec. 31, 2025.

The East Bend Library has been on a lease since 2011 that will expire in December 2025. It will then transition its staff and books over to the new central library for the community. 

"It's a grave disappointment," East Bend Library user Ryan Young said Monday. "Because I'm a retired veteran and got some disability from wounds and injuries, and I can't drive very much any more. So I'll be using the library less after this."

Young, a regular visitor to the location, says he won't be visiting the new Central Library under construction in southeast Bend, due to the added distance from his home.

Beth, another user of the library location, said, "It makes us a little sad, because we love to come here like a couple times a week."

Beth comes to the library a few times a week with her kids, and said she isn't concerned about having to drive to a new library: "Everything is pretty close here, and I don't see us having any trouble going to another location."

The new Central Library at Stevens Ranch is located off of SE 27th Street, about 10 minutes from Highway 97. Included in the new site will be a drive-thru book pickup and drop box, to address parking challenges 

Library Director Todd Dunkelberg said, "The 'central' piece is meant to be central to all of Deschutes County, and this really offered us some great connections, as far as being able to get to that site, if you're coming from north or south, pretty easily."

Dunkelberg pointed out that the new location will be near a bus route, the 6 line, and have access to a pedestrian path. Construction is underway for the new Central Library, which will be nearly 100,000 square feet. The hope is that with the larger space, they can increase their capacity of books for the community. 

"Wee have about 250,000 books for people in the community. and our goal is to get up to close to 500,000 for our entire community," Dunkelberg said. "So that's a really big increase in the number of books we have across the county."

Staff from the East Bend Library won't lose their jobs, as they'll transition to the new space about a month before it opens.

Beth added, "I think we'll probably both be excited for a new library. maybe a bigger one for the big kids' area."

Library officials tells NewsChannel 21 folks can expect a lot more services, once the building projects are completed. One idea is to implement library kiosks throughout different parts of the community. Essentially, it's a very large vending machine, about the size of an office, that holds thousands of books that people can choose from.

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Here's a news release last Wednesday from the Deschutes Public Library about the East Bend Library decision:

Deschutes Public Library Board Votes to Transition East Bend Library Operations to Central Library at Stevens Ranch in 2026

The Deschutes Public Library Board recently reviewed lease options for the East Bend Library, which is located at 62080 Dean Swift Road in east Bend.

After discussing renewal options—which were limited to two- and five-year extensions by the leasing company—and factoring in the upcoming addition of the new 100,000-square-foot Central Library at Stevens Ranch less than two miles away, the Board decided not to renew the lease agreement for the East Bend Library. The current lease runs through December 31, 2025.

“We opened the East Bend Library in 2011 as a temporary solution to serve our growing community, and it has served us well in that capacity for nearly 15 years,” said Library Director Todd Dunkelberg. “It is the only space not owned by the library, and now that a new library is opening less than two miles away, the time is coming to transition to a permanent home.”

Dunkelberg added that current East Bend staff will transition to the new Central Library at Stevens Ranch. “We know the East Bend Library staff members are beloved by the community, so folks should be heartened to know they will still find those friendly faces in libraries,” he said.

The Bend community will still have two libraries in Bend to serve their needs—the Central Library at Stevens Ranch (61956 SE Santorini St.) and the existing Downtown Bend Library—as well as expanded outreach services and vans. The Downtown Bend Library will undergo an extensive renovation in 2026, once the Central Library at Stevens Ranch opens its doors.