Category Archives: Libraries

Books, Libraries

Little Free Library

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In writing my series on Casco Bay Island libraries, it occurred to me that some of the islands, such as the Diamonds, need a “Little Free Library” to make books more accessible in their communities. What is a Little Free Library, you may ask? According to good old Wikipedia, Little Free Libraries are a community movement in the United States and worldwide that offers free books housed in small containers to members of the local community. They are also referred to as community book exchanges, book trading posts, and pop-up libraries.Little Free Library in Seattle

The idea was popularized in Hudson, Wisconsin when Todd Bol mounted a wooden container designed to look like a school house on a post on his lawn as a tribute to his mother, who was a book lover and school teacher. Bol shared his idea with his partner Rick Brooks who found many efficient ways to spread the word, and the idea spread rapidly. Library owners can create their own library box, usually about the size of a doll house, or purchase one from the website. Libraries may be registered for a fee and assigned a number at the organization’s website. Libraries can be found through their GPS coordinates. Owners receive a sign that reads “Little Free Library”. They often have the phrase, “Take a Book. Leave a Book.”[3][4]

In Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, the village is requiring a church to take down their Little Free Library, worrying about inappropriate material being placed and saying that there was no point in a Little Free Library due to the public library. [5] Whitefish Bay is, in addition, denying permission to any family that asks to have a Little Free Library placed in their front yard.[5]

Libraries have been donated to rural areas that have no libraries of their own, or that have been ravaged by disasters. As of February 2013, all 50 states and 40 countries worldwide have been involved in the literary program. There are currently 5000 registered Little Free Libraries in the world, with an estimated 1000 unregistered.[6]

Each Library is uniquely built incorporating materials from the community it is located in.

According to the official website, the closest ones to Long Island are in Falmouth, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth.

Of course, on Long Island we are blessed to have our beautiful library, open every day of the week, but for many communities, that are either too small or seasonal to sustain a library, or those that are unable to afford a library due to economics, this is a fun and easy way to share literature with your neighbors.

For more information see:

http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/

[photo is of a Little Free Library in the Wedgewood neighborhood in Seattle, taken by Nancy N. in October 2013)

Books, Libraries

Libraries on the Diamond Islands

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Next, we head to the Diamond Islands to see what they offer their communities as far as libraries. On Great Diamond Island, Elwell Hall, in the village, has a small library, created by Jane Laughlin. It’s seasonal, open in the summer to Diamond Island Association members and their guests, when the hall, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, is open. It’s mostly items donated, including cookbooks, fiction, and children’s books.Diamond Island Rose

On the fort side, there is a small library in the Diamond Cove Association building. Both of these libraries are informal, without a checking out system. Mostly a book swap of sorts. On Little Diamond, there is no physical place for a library, but people do read a lot in the summer, and have an informal book swap.

So, if there is a need for a good book to read, after the ferry leaves, there are opportunities available on Little and Great Diamond Islands.

Books, Libraries

Cliff Island’s library: The Stone Library

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Cliff Island’s library is probably the only official library in Casco Bay that is housed in a classic turn-of-the-century cottage, built in 1907. Perched on a hillside, just beyond the community hall, which houses the post office and historical society, this beautiful library was named after Floraetta Stone (The Stone Library), a co-founder of the library (1907) and the Cliff Island Library Club which still operates the library. The library offers services in the summer only (although has been known to be open in the winter in the past). The paid librarian, Amy Lent, is also the postmaster (a true Mainer!). Although the library is technically a membership library, it balances being a public library by offering services to anyone who needs it. Books, books-on-tape, CDs, DVDs are offered, as well as classic Maine books – all of which can be accessed through the Cliff Island Stone Librarylibrary’s automated catalog. There is even a teen room. Best of all is a wonderful porch where one can sit and enjoy reading, while gazing between the trees at the water. What more could one want!

Books, Libraries

LibraryThing

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Ever thought about cataloging your home library? I haven’t – too much like my day job. But for those of you who are looking for a winter project, there is an online solution! “LibraryThing” is available to help people catalog their books easily. Tim Spaulding, a web developer and web publisher based in Portland, Maine, is on Tancook Island Library 2the cutting edge of cyberspace, allowing people to maintain access to their own book collections, and then share the information online, sometimes described as “Facebook for books.” LibraryThing has over 44 million books available, and over a million users. You can access your catalog from anywhere—even on your mobile phone. Because everyone catalogs together, LibraryThing also connects people with the same books, comes up with suggestions for what to read next, and so forth. A free account allows you to catalog up to 200 books – over that there is a small fee ($10 a year or $25 for a lifetime).

For more information see www.librarything.com

Libraries

Chebeague Island Library

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Chebeague Island library heartMany years ago, on a cold winter’s day, a group of us from Long Island visited the Chebeague Island Library. Why? We were visiting various libraries to get ideas for our new library, which we were in the process of planning to build. Then librarian Martha Hamilton was our gracious host, showing us their beautiful library. It was warm and bright and colorful with various areas perfect for curling up with books, and a cozy and cheerful children’s area. It was definitely a delightful visit, which gave us much inspiration for planning our own library.

Today the library continues to be a bright spot for Chebeague residents – the current librarian, Deb Bowman, says…” We try to provide what the community needs or wants. … We have done so much here, dancing, drumming, movies, poetry (lots of poetry), art displays, music, and so much more. Book group, iPad classes, prayer book making,
and it goes on and on.” One clever idea was to dress up the front display table with bedclothes and invite patrons to fill out a card which asked “What do you read in bed?”

Deb says their mission statement drives her vision for the library: “The Chebeague Island Library provides a welcoming center to foster the learning of the entire Island Community. The Library cultivates knowledge and enjoyment and brings enrichment and stimulus to Chebeague through diverse collections, innovative technology, research and educational resources, programs and services in response to Island interests.”

For more information on the Chebeague Island Library see: http://chebeague.chebeague.lib.me.us/

and www.chebeague.org

 

Books, Films, Libraries

Peaks Island Branch of the Portland Public Library

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First in a new series of blogs about our neighboring Casco Bay island libraries, we start with the Peaks Island Branch of the Portland Public Library. On the first Saturday in January I found myself on Peaks Island, and trotted over to visit my friend Priscilla at the island library. Despite the busy traffic in and out of the library, Priscilla, the branch director, and her assistant Rose Ann, took the time to talk libraries with me, mostly about outreach ventures, i.e., how to get folks into the library, especially in the winter and on evenings. Priscilla and Rose Ann were full of ideas, such as their upcoming Library Pajama Party (an evening of bedtime stories for kids 5-8), a book group where various member take turns hosting, and a Saturday evening film series. In the past they offered a monthly craft night, where various community members would offer to teach a craft.

Alas, it was too soon time to catch the ferry back to Portland, but not before I checked out a book! Having a Portland Public Library card allows me to borrow a book on Peaks Island and return it at the main branch. That was an unexpected bonus. So, with a copy of “Chopin’s Garden” by Peaks Island author Eleanor Lincoln Morse under my arm, I headed back to the ferry, with reading material for the ride back to Portland and the warmth in my heart of visiting another lovely island library in winter.

For more information on the Peaks Island Branch Library see: http://www.portlandlibrary.com/locations/peaks.htm

Libraries

Happy New Year from the Long Island Community Library!

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And as you start thinking about doing taxes for the past year, here’s a wonderful way to help out all public libraries in Maine:

Maine Public Library Fund State Income Tax Check-off

Support  Maine Public Libraries by donating via your Maine Income Tax form using Schedule CP. Donating $5 or more is this easy.

Here’s how to find out more:

http://www.maine.gov/msl/tax/index.shtml

All proceeds help Maine’s Public Libraries whether it’s …

  • Purchasing new eBook content
  • Expanding interlibrary loan support
  • Creating programs that all can attend
  • Supporting special consultant services from which all can benefit
  • And so much more!
Libraries

Special libraries in Portland – The Maine Historical Society Library

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Last in our series about special libraries in Portland – my own library, where I work. It’s especially pretty this time of year, so feel free to stop by and stick your nose in. If I’m here I’m happy to give a tour!

Tucked behind the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the Maine Historical Society’s Alida Carroll and John Marshall Brown Library, built in 1907, was recently renovated and expanded, and is not only more beautiful than ever, but has more storage for all of its collections. The reading room is a delight to behold, with olive green walls lined with portraits of people who are associated with the collections, new handsome wooden shelving and furniture, and high arched windows overlooking the newly landscaped Longfellow Garden. The library maintains the original glass floors in the mezzanine to let in the light, while iron stacks are lined with old and new books where members can browse. The Society was founded in 1822 as the third oldest historical society in the nation, and has all sorts of treasures, from the Benedict Arnold’s letterbook from the 1775 expedition to Quebec, given to the library by Aaron Burr, to tickets to the Elvis Presley concert that was cancelled due to his death.The collections in the library don’t circulate, but researchers can use the books in house to delve into subjects ranging from genealogy to Maine history to researching your house’s history. If you’re not in the mood to research because the weather is just too nice to be inside, the garden is a lovely and inviting respite from the busy traffic on Congress Street. In the warmer months, members of the business and local community are welcome to bring their lunches into the garden to commune with friends or to just to enjoy reading a good book of their own.

For more information: http://www.mainehistory.org/library_overview.shtml

Books, Libraries

A Nova Scotian island library

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Recent travels took us to an island off the coast of Nova Scotia’s south shore: Tancook Island. The congenial crew member pointed us in the direction of his house, where his wife, Hillary, runs the island museum, art gallery (Wishing Stones), and … library! Books spill out everywhere in this charming spot, as well as shelves full of videos, magazines, board games, and puzzles. There were comfortable chairs and couches to relax in, and a wood stove to keep warm by in the colder months.

Hillary started the library with her own books, but once the word got out that there was a library on the island books began to appear. She connected with the South Shore public library system, which offers a rotating selection of books and videos through a bookmobile that comes to Chester, the town on the mainland which the ferry from Tancook connects to.

Hillary doesn’t bother with a check out system – instead, she trusts the islanders to return the books in a timely manner, and they do! Overall, Hillary provides a comfortable gathering place on Tancook Island, where anyone in the community of about 100 souls (in the winter) is welcome to hang out, knit, visit, and read.

For more on Tancook’s library see: http://www.wishingstonesgallery.com/9322.html

Books, Films, Libraries

Winter reading on Long Island

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Winter is here! Well, at least according to Casco Bay Lines. My heart always drops to see the cold blue color of the winter schedule, which runs from October through April. Yes, winter is 6 months long in Casco Bay! Well, us book lovers make the best of it and anticipate spending the dark evenings sitting by the fire, reading all those long tomes we put off during the other more inclement and lighter months, perhaps that Moby Dick or Gone with the Wind that we’ve been waiting for a “rainy day” to read (i.e., snow, sleet, hail, or whatever the gods bring us). And thanks to the longer check-out period that the Long Island Community Library is hoping to set into motion soon (from 2 weeks to 3 weeks), we will now have more time to read the wonderful selection of library books offered by our own island library. So, now that “winter” is here, it’s time to head to the library, and stock up on your favorite authors, as well as the wonderful array of films that are waiting to be viewed (including the recently viewed movies shown at our foreign film night). Enjoy!