BEND, OR -- The Deschutes Public Library is working to make sure it remains relevant for its users into the future, as the library system and the community grow.

Director Todd Dunkelberg says the library board was recently presented with the findings of a public survey that found that Deschutes County residents would consider supporting an expansion of services to include event or meeting space. "There definitely was an interest in that piece and it kind of fits in with really that ‘library as that third place.’ You’ve got your work, you’ve got home, but there aren’t a lot of places in the community – especially free places – to go meet people or just have quite reflection. So that definitely came up in the survey that there was a lot of interest in having space like that." He tells KBND News, "The next step is for us to go in and do a building needs assessment, where we actually are looking at all of our buildings, how are they going to meet the needs of the future – especially with a lot of our buildings aging. Our ‘brand new’ downtown library is actually going to be 20-years-old next year. So, looking at how those buildings can be set to meet their future needs and then seeing if we need to go beyond that and expand our services in some way."

Click HERE to read more about the community survey.

No matter which direction the library system goes in the future, Dunkelberg says it can’t sacrifice the primary mission. "First and foremost, everything we do is about developing a love of reading.  All of this is geared around our traditional services. And, a big piece that we’ll need as we grow is space to house all the books. So, that’ll be a challenge for us into the future."