It’s the Sixth Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest!
October is one of our favorite months, because it means the return of the annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest—and we cannot wait to see where your creativity takes you this year! To take part, decorate a pumpkin as one of your favorite book characters; winners get a bag of cool library swag. Pumpkins will be displayed in libraries in late October, and voting will take place online. Visit our website here for all the details, including rules and guidelines. Pumpkin drop-off is between October 11 and 15, so now’s the time to plan your masterpiece! Open to all ages.
Exciting Things are Happening at Your Libraries!
After six years of planning and meeting with more than 6,500 community members, we are excited to put Deschutes County voters’ vision into action to provide outstanding library spaces and services for decades to come. First up: the Redmond, La Pine and Sisters Libraries. These libraries will temporarily close in January as we begin the building and remodeling processes, but temporary locations will open to ensure you have access to library materials. Learn more about the construction and renovations, find the addresses of temporary locations and follow along with the process on the Future Libraries website.
Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15-October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, which recognizes the contributions of people with ancestors from Latin America and Spain. Explore Hispanic and Latino literature and cultures by checking out some of the amazing new books by Hispanic and Latino authors, and explore the other resources and presentations available through your library, with this all-ages book list.
Looking for a Frightfully Good Read?
Cooler days, longer shadows—it’s no wonder so many of us turn to spine-tingling books in October. Whether you’re looking for something that’s mildly scary, or SCARY scary, we have some great recommendations. Check out these horror recommendations for adults as well as these suspense/thriller novels. We even have a list for teen and new adult cross-genre horror and some not-too-spooky picture books for kids. Find more great book picks, customized just for you by a librarian, through Your Next Book, our personalized reading recommendation service.
October Fun for Kids, Tweens and Teens
October brings fun programs and crafts for kids of all ages. Visit our online calendar for dates, times and locations for the following fun events:
- Pumpkinpalooza (ages 6-12): Come try out pumpkin crafts and science with pumpkins.
- Sugar Skulls (ages 11-17): Decorate spooky or beautiful calaveras for Día de los Muertos.
- OBOB Book Clubs (ages 6-17): Learn more about the 2022 slate of books for Oregon Battle of the Books, and take part in OBOB book clubs.
Resource Spotlight: Consumer Reports
Whether you’re shopping for a car or are in need of a new vacuum, Consumer Reports offers independent ratings and reviews for more than 9,000 products and services. But here’s the best deal of all: your Deschutes Public Library card gives you free and full access to the Consumer Reports website where you’ll find those reviews. Simply have your library card number handy when you log in to the Consumer Reports site via the library portal here.
Beyond Books: Games
Bored with your current game selection at home? Borrow a board game from the library to play with family or friends! Whether you’re looking for a casual game or more complex world building, the board games collection has something for everyone. Games check out for three weeks at a time; place a hold on the game of your choice to pick it up at your nearest library branch. Browse the full offering of games for all ages on our website.
Coming this Winter: A New Way to Find What You’re Looking for—and More!
This winter, Deschutes Public Library begins organizing books and more in a new way that will make browsing easier. This new system is called Wayfinder, and the goal is to make it easier for you to browse the collection and to find your way to what you’re interested in. We’ll keep you updated on this project; for now, you’ll find more information and answers to frequently asked questions on our website here.
Events & Programs in October
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: Pumpkinpalooza — October 15 (La Pine); October 19 (E.Bend); October 20 (Sunriver); October 24 (D.Bend); October 26 (Sisters); October 28 (Redmond)
- OBOB Book Club: Me, Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring (D.Bend) — October 18
- Your Next Book: OBOB 2022 3rd-5th Grade (online) — October 19
Teens & Tweens
- Middle Ground Book Club: Girl in the Blue Coat — October 5 (E.Bend); October 11 (Redmond)
- Your Next Book: OBOB 2022 6th-8th Grade (online) — October 5
- Middle Ground: Sugar Skulls — October 12 (E.Bend); October 19 (La Pine); October 21 (Sisters); October 26 (Redmond); October 27 (D.Bend)
Book Clubs
- East Bend: The Reading List — October 8
- Redmond: Harlem Shuffle — October 13
- Online: Everything I Know About Love — October 13
- Online: Swimming Back to Trout River — October 26
- Downtown Bend: Dial A for Aunties — October 28
En Español
- Abogado en la Biblioteca (en linea) — October 5, October 19
- Conectar Proyecto (Redmond) — October 10
- Repair Café (Sisters) — October 20
- Immigración y Ciudadanía (D.Bend) — October 24
Adults
- Thrive Central Oregon Walk-in Consultations (D.Bend, E.Bend, La Pine and Redmond) — see calendar for dates and times
- Music in Public Places (Redmond) — October 1
- Open Computer Lab (D.Bend) — October 6, October 13, October 20, October 27
- Lawyer in the Library (online) — October 5, October 19
- Open Computer Lab (Redmond) — October 4, October 11, October 25
- Explore Your Windows 10 Laptop — October 4 (Redmond); October 6 (D.Bend); October 18 (Sisters); October 21 (La Pine); October 27 (E.Bend)
- Law Library Office Hours — October 4 (Redmond); October 11 (La Pine); October 18 (Sisters); October 25 (Sunriver)
- SCORE Small Business Counseling (D.Bend) — October 4, October 11, October 18, October 25
- Open Hub Singing Club — October 4 (E.Bend); October 19 (Redmond)
- Talking with Kids About Safety from Sexual Abuse with KIDS Center (D.Bend) — October 4
- Know Ancient: Exploration at Redmond Caves — October 6
- Apple Season Recipes (online) — October 6
- Know Ancient: Exploring Oregon’s Ancient Forests — October 8 (Redmond); October 8 (E.Bend)
- Know Ancient: Psilocybin—The History of Los Ninos Santos — October 12 (Online); October 27 (E.Bend)
- Know Ancient: Meadow Wander at Camp Polk Meadow Reserve — October 14
- Know Ancient: Pseudoarchaeology Revealed (online) — October 18
- Let’s Talk About It: Training with KIDS Center (La Pine) — October 18
- Open Computer Lab (Sisters) — October 18
- Repair Café (Sisters) — October 20
- Third Thursday Spoken Word Night at The Commons — October 20
- Open Computer Lab (La Pine) — October 21
- Your Next Book: Pop-up Mystery Lunch Break (online) — October 21
- Know Ancient: Guitarology — October 22 (Redmond); October 23 (D.Bend)
- Immigration & Citizenship 101 (D.Bend) — October 24
- Immigration Practitioner Updates & Announcements (D.Bend) — October 25
- Introduction to Finding Grants (D.Bend) — October 25
- Know Ancient: Death Café (D.Bend) — October 25
- Know Ancient: Leap Into the Stars at SCP Redmond Rooftop — October 26
- History Pub Encore: Mark O. Hatfield (E.Bend) — October 26
- Open Computer Lab (E.Bend) — October 27
- Dyslexia Presentation for Presents (D.Bend) — October 27
- Día de los Muertos: Imagery of Life (online) — October 30
Write Here
- Quiet Writing Time (Redmond) — October 4, October 11, October 18, October 25
- Quiet Writing Time (D.Bend) — October 4, October 11, October 18, October 25
- COVIDOLOGY: Stories from Behind the Mask — October 1 (D.Bend + online); October 2 (Suniver + online)
- Healing Poetry: The Art of Living Through Grief (Sisters) — October 8
- Seeing Around the Narrator (D.Bend) — October 11