Curtis Memorial Library will introduce the first electric bookmobile in Maine this spring.
Signs of spring are popping up all over Curtis Memorial Library: The butterfly murals have been hung on the fence around the Nancy Bouchard Laffely Children’s Garden, the drawers of the Seed Library are filling up outside the New Books Room, and the outdoor furniture has returned to the Reading Garden and the Middle Street patio.
This spring, we are also excited to announce two very special happenings at Curtis. From June 15 to Oct. 15, we will join the Illustration Institute in hosting “Robert McCloskey: The Art of Wonder,” an exhibit of more than 75 original illustrations, sketches and paintings from his Maine-based children’s book classics, “Blueberries for Sal,” “One Morning in Maine,” “Burt Dow: Deep-Water Man,” and “Time of Wonder”; as well as the Boston favorite “Make Way for Ducklings.” We’ll feature docent-led tours; smartphone app tours; drawing workshops for kids and adults; guest artists, writers and lecturers; and more.
We’re particularly honored that both of McCloskey’s daughters will be here to participate in several readings and talks. Sally (yes, that Sal!) will read “Blueberries for Sal” and other McCloskey classics to children of all ages on Saturday, July 22, and Saturday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. in the Morrell Meeting Room. McCloskey’s other daughter, Jane, who wrote “McCloskey: Art and Illustrations of Robert McCloskey,” will join a panel of art writers and illustrators to discuss the breadth of McCloskey’s award-winning writings and illustrations. Visit curtislibrary.com/mccloskey for frequent updates and a full calendar of activities happening in conjunction with this exhibit throughout the summer and fall.
Also in June, we will introduce the first electric bookmobile in the state of Maine to the Harpswell and Brunswick communities! Donated by Darling’s Brunswick Ford and customized with support from the Manton Foundation, Curtis Friends, and private donors, this 2023 E-Transit van will travel to our current outreach locations, as well as underserved areas, community events and more.
The bookmobile will carry its own collection of books and materials for children, teens and adults to borrow on-site; accept return materials; serve as a Wi-Fi hot spot and library card sign-up location; feature an awning and outdoor seating for pop-up programs and story times; and more. An online schedule will be available at curtislibrary.com soon, with opportunities for community input on where the bookmobile might travel or pop up.
The library will have full Saturday hours this summer, being open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate summer readers and visitors, ensuring plenty of opportunities to view the McCloskey exhibit on the weekend.
We’re so excited to bring some of the library to you in Harpswell with the bookmobile, and welcome you to Curtis in Brunswick for browsing, summer reading, the McCloskey exhibit and so much more.
Curtis Memorial Library provides free library cards to Harpswell residents, year-round and seasonal. Elisabeth Doucett is the library’s executive director.
“Library Connections” is a monthly column that rotates among the three libraries that serve Harpswell: Cundy’s Harbor, Orr’s Island and Curtis Memorial.
