East Bend Library Opening Mid-March!

The Deschutes Public Library is pleased to announce the new East Bend Library will open in mid-March with full services for east Bend residents. The Library is 8,000 square feet and located at Borden’s Corner, 62080 Dean Swift Road, Suite 170.

The new library will provide full services such as: a community meeting room; popular books, music, and films; Internet stations; story times; adult programs; and materials pick-up. For more information check out the library at: http://www.deschuteslibrary.org/eastbend/.

Ring in St. Patty's at McMenamins and the Library

The award-winning author of Mink River and editor of Portland Magazine promises “a story-soaked experience filled with much hilarity and Irish blarney.” Both events are free and open to the public.

Brian Doyle: An Irishman’s Oregon
Friday, March 11, 2011
Downtown Bend Public Library
Upstairs
4:00 p.m.





Words on Tap:
Author Brian Doyle & the Hanz Araki Celtic Band
Saturday, March 12, 2011
McMenamin’s Old St. Francis
Father Luke’s Room
7:00 p.m.

Book-a-Librarian Service Now Available -- Research Made Easy!

The Deschutes Public Library has launched a free service to assist individuals, organizations, and businesses with research on a variety of subjects. The new service, Book-a-Librarian, provides one-on-one assistance with research that might otherwise be overwhelming for customers. Through the Book-a-Librarian service, a professional librarian will meet with customers for up to 90 minutes either in the Library or at the individual's place of work and assist them with their information needs.

Librarians are available to assist with research on a variety of subjects, such as:

• Career exploration and resume assistance
• Small business plans
• Consumer research
• Industry trends for entrepreneurs

River House Author and Organic Farmer Sarahlee Lawrence to Present March 12 & 13 at the Redmond & Bend Libraries

The Deschutes Public Library is proud to present two readings by Sarahlee Lawrence, local author of the memoir, River House. The first presentation will be on Saturday, March 12^th, 2:00 p.m. at the Redmond Public Library, followed by a second reading on Sunday, March 13^th, 2:00 p.m. as part of the Second Sunday series, at the Downtown Bend Library. Both events are free and open to the public.

An exquisite blend of memoir and nature writing, River House is a young woman’s story about returning home. Sarahlee Lawrence grew up in remote Central Oregon and spent her days dreaming about leaving her small town for adventure. As a young woman, she set out on a worldly white water rafting trek, but ironically, following her passion along the most coveted arteries of the world led her right back to the least expected place—to her dusty beginnings and her family’s ranch—to her River House.

Award-winning Teen Author, Will Hobbs, to Host Free Writing Workshop



Author of several very popular teen adventure titles, Will Hobbs, will lead a writing workshop for ages 12 and older. The event is free and no registration is required. Join us for this special evening on Tuesday, March 15 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Bend Public Library, Brooks Room. For more information, please contact April Witteveen at 541.617.7079.

Board Member George Riser Remembered

The Library lost a great leader and advocate recently when Board member George Riser passed away at his home on Tuesday, February 15. George was passionate about libraries and led the charge to build a Library for the Sunriver Area community. With his fierce intelligence and wit, George worked tirelessly to establish the needed funding, and served as the project manager overseeing the design and construction of the beautiful Sunriver Area Library.

In 1998, George was elected to the Deschutes Public Library Board and remained an active member until his death. He always asked the important questions, the hard ones, and took care in analyzing the budget with an eagle eye. George was admired for his refined grace, cheery whistle, and clear thinking. He will be greatly missed.

Two Summer Reading Participants Win $1,000 Oregon College Savings Accounts

Some lucky Oregonians now have a head start to save for college. Fifteen individuals were drawn as winners in “Dive into Saving for College,” part of the 2010 summer reading program held at public libraries around the state. The program, sponsored by the Oregon College Savings Plan in partnership with the Oregon State Library and Oregon Library Association, awarded each winner a $1,000 Oregon College Savings Plan and $500 to each library with a winning participant.

Nearly 7,000 entries were received from summer reading participants throughout Oregon, helping to spread awareness of the importance of reading and saving early for college. This year’s randomly selected winners included two readers from the Deschutes Public Library: Casey Miller and Kristine McConnell of Bend. The Deschutes Public Library received $1,000.

For more information, please contact Heather McNeil at 541.617.7099 or heatherm@deschuteslibrary.org.

Read Newspapers Online for Free

Did you know that with your Deschutes Public Library card you can read newspapers like The Bulletin, The Miami Herald, and The San Francisco Chronicle online? The library's subscription to America's Newspapers grants you access to those titles and many more. Log in with your library barcode from home, school, work, or anywhere in the world.

Visit the library's Online Resources page for more free resources like eBooks, business/investment sites, career help, magazines, homework resources, and much more.

A New Vision for our Future

If you are like me, you have come to dread all sentences that start with "in these trying economic times..."

The Deschutes Public Library, like the rest of our community, is deeply affected by the current economy. We have seen record increases in use at the same time our revenue is declining. Although this could paint a grim picture, the Library has made critical shifts in our internal structures to continue the high quality services and resources we offer.

In the last 18 months, we have restructured the organization through eliminating positions and cross-training staff to maximize our skilled personnel base. We have closely evaluated our open hours and usage patterns and shifted our hours to match the highest demand times with open libraries and eliminated hours during our lowest use times. We have also maximized the library's technology and electronic resources so the Library is available to users 24/7 from a home or office computer.

In 2007, a demographic community study identified east Bend residents in critical need of services and resources. Since then, through conservative budgeting and planning, we have worked to make the dream of opening an East Bend Library a reality. And in another couple of weeks, the East Bend Library will open with all of the wonderful services and resources of our other libraries and begin to serve the 50,000 residents who populate the area!

We invite you to visit our new 8,000 square foot East Bend Library when it opens in mid-March. This small but mighty library will reflect the community's continued commitment towards education, discovery, and enrichment for all citizens. We believe, "in these trying economic times" great things can happen with a big dose of courage, creativity, and a willingness to shift and change so that new possibilities are realized.

Thank you for your continued commitment and support. See you at the Library!

Todd Dunkelberg, Library Director

The Deschutes Public Library Foundation was founded in 1993 to provide dependable, sustainable funding for programs of the Deschutes Public Library. A contribution to the Foundation will support three important programs: Summer Reading; Outreach Services for the Underserved; and A Novel Idea...Read Together.

Our libraries are an invaluable asset to Deschutes County. Community support will help them thrive. To make a tax deductible contribution, go to www.dplfoundation.org and click on the "donate" button or call 541-610-7004.

Visit the library’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/deschuteslibrary) and become a fan to receive Facebook updates on events, programs, and what’s new at the library.