A Novel Idea is Set to Start Its 20th Year!
What better way to celebrate the 20th year of A Novel Idea than to bring together four authors from years past? We are honored to bring together David James Duncan, María Amparo Escandón, Peter Heller and Anne Griffin on April 29 for a free capstone event in Bend. Tickets are free, but required (you can get your free tickets starting April 10 on our website and at all library locations). But first, we have a full month of free programming coming up and it all kicks off on March 31. Pick up a Readers Guide or visit our website for a complete list of programs. Our thanks to the sponsors and donors, whose support keeps these events free and open to all. Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your A Novel Idea 2023 Reading Passport at any library location. Once you complete your passport, you’ll get a free, limited-edition A Novel Idea book bag. Happy reading!
Redmond Breaks Ground on a New Library
Community members and library staff all joined in the celebration in early March as we broke ground on the Redmond Library. More than 300 people took part in the official kick-off to construction. The new 40,000-square-foot library is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. If you missed the groundbreaking you can watch a video of the event on our YouTube channel and you can learn more about the new Redmond Library on our website.
The Latest on the La Pine, Sisters and Stevens Ranch Libraries
The temporary La Pine Library is now open! You’ll find it at 16405-B First Street in La Pine, right across the parking lot from the library itself (hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm). Remodeling work is well underway at both the La Pine and Sisters Libraries, with re-openings on track for this fall. Meanwhile in Bend, on March 13 the public got a first look at proposed designs for the new Stevens Ranch Library in east Bend. If you missed the presentation, you can watch it on our YouTube channel. The new library will provide increased materials collections, multiple meeting and gathering spaces, dynamic early learning areas for children and efficient processing systems for quicker and far-reaching service delivery across Deschutes County. Construction is slated to start in early 2024.
Día de los niños y libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)
El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Day of the Child/Day of the Book) celebrates children of all cultures and connects them to the world of learning through books, stories and the library. Join us for this year’s celebration—the whole family is welcome! April 28, 6-8pm, Hugh Hartman Elementary // El día de los niños/El día de los libros celebra a los niños de todas las culturas y los conecta con el mundo del aprendizaje a través de libros, cuentos y la biblioteca. Únase a nosotros para la celebración de este año. ¡Toda la familia es bienvenida! 28 de abril, 6-8pm, Hugh Hartman Elementary School.
A New Way to Find Books and More
All libraries are transitioning to Wayfinder, a new way to explore your library’s collection. Wayfinder groups books into broad categories (such as Cooking) and further sorts those categories into subcategories (such as Vegetarian). The intent is to make it easier and more pleasurable to browse, while also giving you a simple way to locate exact titles if you’re looking for something specific. The transition is now complete at the temporary Redmond Library and is in process at the Downtown Bend Library. Other library locations will follow, with full transition to Wayfinder scheduled to be complete in late spring. Learn more about Wayfinder on our website and don’t forget: library staff are always available to help!
Walk with Us!
Deschutes Public Library is partnering with the School of Nursing at OHSU as part of a two-year study about group-based walking programs. If you engage in physical activity less than three days a week, you are invited to join a weekly walking group in Redmond. Participants receive a Fitbit and a t-shirt. Space is limited. For more information, contact Rya before April 14 at ryaf@deschuteslibrary.org.
April is National Poetry Month
Each year the month of April is set aside as National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poets, poetry and the creative mind. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with millions of readers of all ages marking poetry’s important place in our lives. This April, check out something new, or new-to-you, from your library and celebrate the expressiveness of poetry. You’ll find recommendations from librarians for poetry and novels in verse for kids, teens and adults on our website. And if you’re a poet, or a poet-at-heart, be sure to explore all of the writing programs available at your library.
Spotlight on Senior Services
From Library Rendezvous, which coordinates with senior living facilities, to HomeWord Bound, which delivers library materials to home-bound seniors, your library offers a variety of resources and services to help Deschutes County’s senior residents get the most out of their library card. We also have thousands of large-print books, as well as eBooks that allow you to increase type size. And for life-long learners, don’t miss all of the great programs offered through the library, both in-person and online. Sign up for our Senior Connection eNewsletter to stay up-to-date with all your library offers.
Follow the Links Below to Learn How to Access These Programs
Note: We’ve partnered with a variety of businesses and organizations in La Pine, Redmond and Sisters to ensure that we can continue story times and adult programs during remodeling and construction, so be sure to note the locations for all programs and events when following the links below.
Kids & Families
Family Story Time, Toddler Story Time, Preschool Story Time and Baby Story Time — Visit our online calendar for dates, locations and times. You’ll also find story times on our YouTube channel (as well as STEAM programs, scavenger hunts and more).
STEAM Team: Earth Day Crafternoon — April 13 (Becky Johnson Ctr.); April 25 (D.Bend)
The Little Black Mustang Story Time — April 27 (Sisters Elem.)
Children’s Day/Book Day — April 28 (Hugh Hartman Elem.)
Middle Ground (10-14 Yrs)
Pysanky Eggs — April 5 (E.Bend)
Grab-and-Go Seeds — April 8 (Redmond and Sisters)
Garden Club Seeds — April 24 (E.Bend); April 26 (Sunriver)
Teens & Young Adult (15-25 Yrs)
Reading Rainbow Book Club — April 8 (D.Bend)
Macramé Plant Hanger — April 15 (E.Bend); April 29 (D.Bend)
Grab-and-Go Macramé Plant Hanger DIY Kits — April 22 (La Pine, Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver)
Book Clubs
Redmond Book Club: Your Favorite A Novel Idea Book — April 6 (Becky Johnson Comm. Ctr.)
The Nonfiction Book Club: An American Sunrise — April 13 (online)
Reading Rainbow Book Club — April 8 (D.Bend)
East Bend Book Club: Your Favorite A Novel Idea Book — April 8
Sunriver Books & Music: L.A. Weather — April 17 (online)
L.A. Weather — April 24 (Sunriver Books & Music)
The Fiction Book Club: Your Favorite A Novel Idea Book — April 26 (online)
Downtown Bend Book Club: Your Favorite A Novel Idea Book — April 28
Abogado en la Biblioteca (en línea) — April 5, April 19
Ayuda Tecnológica (Downtown Bend) — April 6
Los Origenes Hispanos de Oregon (East Bend) — April 8
Thrive Central Oregon (Downtown Bend) — Los viernes, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Día de los niños y libros — April 28 (Hugh Hartman Elem.)
Tu Voz Escrita — April 29 (Latino Community Association)
Adults
Thrive Central Oregon Walk-in Consultations — see calendar for dates and times and visit Thrive’s website for more sessions and locations throughout the county
Tax Aide (D.Bend) — April 1, April 8, April 15
Lawyer in the Library (online) — April 5, April 19
Law Library Office Hours — April 4, April 11, April 18, April 25 (D.Bend); April 6 (La Pine Activity Ctr); April 6 (Sunriver); April 13 (Fika Sisters); April 13 (Redmond)
Open Computer Lab — April 4, April 11, April 18, April 25 (Redmond); April 6, April 13, April 27 (D.Bend)
Clearing Your Record in Oregon — April 4 (D.Bend)
Open Hub Singing Club — April 5 (D.Bend); April 18 (Becky Johnson Ctr.)
Resume and Job Open Lab — April 6 (D.Bend)
The Hispanic Origins of Oregon State — April 8 (E.Bend)
SCORE Small Business Counseling (D.Bend) — April 11, April 25
A Novel Idea 2023
One Book at a Time: A Novel Idea Turns 20 — 3/31 (sneak peek); starts April 1 (Deschutes Historical Museum)
Disaster Preparedness: The More You Know — April 2 (D.Bend); April 3 (Sisters Firehouse Comm. Hall)
Diamonds in the Desert: Bend’s Baseball History in a Few Innings — April 4 (E.Bend); April 13 (D.Bend)
Guided Tour of MacDougall & Sons Bat Company — April 6
What Is Left Unsaid: Communicating What Matters Most — April 10 (D.Bend)
Death Café — April 11 (Becky Johnson Center)
Appreciating the Little Creatures — April 12 (E.Bend); April 12 (Sunriver)
Different Wars, Different Choices — April 15 (Redmond Proficiency Academy); April 15 (D.Bend)
Five Pint Mary Performance — April 15 (Wild Ride)
Healing Poetry: the Art of Living Through Grief — April 17 (D.Bend)
Sustainable Self: Coping, Identity and Action within Climate Change — April 18 (online)
Religion 101: A The Brothers K Discussion — April 19 (Redmond Proficiency Academy); April 25 (E.Bend)
Fly Fishing 101 and Outdoor Casting Class — April 21
Irish Banjo and Home-grown Songs — April 22 (Sunriver); April 22 (D.Bend)
Transformation: Waiting for Answers — April 22 (High Desert Music Hall)
Estate Planning 101 — April 24 (D.Bend)
Writing About Trauma in Traumatic Times — April 25 (online)
Mexican Spices Cooking Class — April 26 (Arome)
A Novel Idea: David James Duncan, María Amparo Escandón, Peter Heller and Anne Griffin — April 29 (Bend High)
The Deschutes Public Library Foundation is offering three intimate discussions about writing with A Novel Idea authors Peter Heller, Anne Griffin and David James Duncan. These sessions are fundraisers for the Foundation. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the event pages for Peter Heller, Anne Griffin and David James Duncan.
Write Here
Quiet Writing Time (D.Bend) — April 4, April 11, April 18, April 25
The Dynamic Power of Language — April 11 (D.Bend + online)
Third Thursday Spoken Word Night — April 20 (The Commons)