Future Library Task Force
Purpose of the Task Force
The Future Library Task Force will bring broad and representative community knowledge and perspective to the City Council. The Task Force will refine site evaluation criteria, identify properties of interest, provide balanced evaluation and analysis of potential options, and make scope and site location recommendations for Council consideration.
The Future Library Task Force will be charged with:
- Analyzing community needs and prioritizing what the facility’s building and site program should include.
- Presenting the recommended building and site program priorities to Council and then refining based on Council’s input.
- Evaluating and ranking potential site options utilizing the criteria developed by Council.
- Presenting an initial analysis of the top ranked site options to Council.
- Based on Council’s feedback, conducting a deeper study of top sites.
- Returning to Council to present additional findings regarding the top sites, to support Council in determining their preferred site and backup site.
The Future Library Task Force will be working in parallel to a Library Site Reuse Task Force that is charged with developing and analyzing reuse scenarios for the existing site after the library is relocated, ultimately delivering a final reuse recommendation to Council.
Task Force Eligibility and Membership
The Future Library Task Force is an ad hoc (temporary) group, selected by the Mayor and appointed by the City Council. The Task Force’s membership shall consist of not more than 20 community members, who bring one or more of the following perspectives:
- Teens/youth
- Parents or guardians of school-aged children
- Older adults
- People with lived experience of a disability, or professionals who serve people with disabilities
- Local business owners
- An arts or cultural organization
- The Lake Oswego School District
- The Friends of the Library
- The City’s Library Advisory Board
- The City’s Sustainability Advisory Board
- Additional City board and commission member(s)
- The City Council
- City’s DEI Advisory Board
- City’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Advisory Board
- City’s Planning Commission
- Additional at-large community members
Timeline and Meeting Information
The Future Library Task Force will meet approximately eight times, no more than once per month, to review and provide feedback on work products. Meetings will be held in person on Wednesday or Thursday evenings. The estimated timeline is December 2026 through 2027, with timing subject to change as the project progresses. Meeting details will be posted in the "Upcoming Events" panel on this page.
Get Involved
The application period closed August 28, 2026, at 5:00 PM. Due to the transition in City Manager leadership, we are extending the timeline for reviewing applications. While applicants were originally expected to be notified in early September, we now anticipate notifying all applicants of their selection status in October 2026.
History
The building condition, site constraints, and community feedback - including the 2023 Library Visioning process, 2024 Facility Condition Assessment, and statistically valid 2025 Community Survey - have informed the 2026 City Council goal to “Develop a strategy for an expanded and modern library facility, prioritizing the West side of town and urban renewal funding options, allowing it to serve as an all-ages and all-activities community center.” Learn more about the planning, community input, and background.
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The City is actively engaged in a long-range planning process for the Library to ensure future spaces and services align with community needs. The existing library facility has critical deficiencies that constrain safe, reliable, and equitable service delivery.
Melissa Kelly, Library Director
Lake Oswego Public Library
706 Fourth Street
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Phone: 503-697-6584
Email: libraryvisioning@lakeoswego.city