Visitors to Brooklin frequently are amazed when they enter this building, now decorated for the holidays.
It’s a library that provides tens of thousands of hard cover books, e-books, CDs, videos, free computer stations, usually an exhibit of local art, streamed music access, frequent lectures, conference facilities, and more. Yet, this treasure trove is in a rural Maine town that has only 812 permanent residents, according to the last official count. How can this be?
Well, one part of the answer is that Brooklinites love it, use it, and have supported it for years. It’s the Friend Memorial Public Library. It originated in 1896 and moved to its present location on land donated by Brooklin’s Friend family in 1912.
Another part of the answer is that providing rural libraries is a tradition in New England, where the Free Public Library Movement is said to have begun in 1849. That year, New Hampshire’s legislature authorized rural towns to levy taxes to create and fund free public libraries. Massachusetts followed suit in 1851, as did Maine in 1854. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on December 9, 2021.