The young girl had been to the library before with her mother and was, as usual, walking toward the kids section when she suddenly stopped. To her left was a wall full of transparent backpacks, each filled with items to explore the beach, the woods and other areas of interest in Harpswell. These “adventure kits” were brand new. Librarian Anne Wilkes came over and explained what they contained. When she finished, the young girl asked: “May I really check these out?”
There were eight adventure kits for summer use, and for most of the summer, only one or two were hanging up. The rest were out, being used for adventures. Now that fall has arrived, those summer kits have been replaced by Anne and volunteer Sue Reynolds with fall and winter activities such as pumpkin carving, birdhouse building, paper crafts, “make a cartoon,” duct tape crafts, and fall foliage fun.
Anne explains: “The reason for the activity kits is to get children into the library at a young age and to show them that the library is a fun place to be.” The kits are part of a broader plan to serve the youngest members of the Harpswell community.
Anne visited Harpswell Community School this spring and told the children about a summer reading program that, if completed, would give them prizes. Even though this was the first year of the program, 15 children completed this assignment.
A further sign of success is that summer checkouts from the section of the library for children and young adults increased by an amazing 240% over last year.
The library is not just for children, of course. During the last two months, visits to the Orr’s Island Library have increased 88% over last year, and book loans were up 36%.
The Orr’s Island Library is not alone in seeing an increase in volume. Cundy’s Harbor Library saw an increase in visits and book loans as well. This increase is due, at least in part, to a continuing and exclusive focus on serving the entire Harpswell community, whether young or old, resident or visitor.
New programs and collaborations with other community groups are constantly being explored.
The September antique rock show allowed people to bring in their rocks and have them identified by Orr’s Island’s Paul Gilmore. As he explained what minerals the rocks contained and how they fit into the history of Harpswell, wife Mary Stewart summarized the findings on a 3-by-5 card. The program will be repeated next summer, so keep those rocks handy.
The Orr’s Island Library continues its collaborations with Harpswell Aging at Home and the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department.
The free vegetable sharing table was a weekly Wednesday fixture on the library lawn, one of three sharing tables around Harpswell, all coordinated by Harpswell Aging at Home.
Halloween’s trunk-or-treat and another planned visit from Santa (fresh off knee surgery) will be “announced” by an Orr’s and Bailey fire truck.
Do you need something notarized? A new offering of the Orr’s Island Library is notary public services. Both Librarian Anne Wilkes and board member Steve Broughall can help you.
And, because we don’t want to go into town unless we really need to, the library continues to offer public computers, color and black-and-white printer/copiers, and free, 24-hour Wi-Fi. Further, as the unpredictable winter approaches, the library will operate as a warming center should the need arise.
Are you looking for a distinctively Harpswell Christmas present? The 2025 “Harpswell From the Water” calendar contains beautiful pictures of Harpswell from the unique perspective of the water. All proceeds from calendar sales benefit the library. You can also browse the library’s used bookstore for that special person’s reading enjoyment.
The libraries that serve Harpswell are, in themselves, an exceptional resource that few other communities can provide. We greatly appreciate support from the annual town budget to meet our community’s distinctive needs. These funds, however, only meet a portion of our operating costs. Please consider including our libraries in your generous year-end giving. In addition, if you must take a required minimum distribution from your individual retirement account, a direct gift to the library provides a tax benefit, even if you do not itemize deductions.
Thank you for using the services our libraries provide.
