Press

Berwick Public Library, Berwick ME

Dyer Library, Saco

The May meeting of the Maine Library Commission focused on patron behavior and training standards for library directors. In previous zoom meetings that chat was open and anybody on the Commission or the public could comment. This meeting marked the start of having the chat function turned off for everyone. Judith Meyer of the Maine Monitor covered the meeting: Maine Library Commission moves to update patron behavior policy, library standards

How Maine’s Small and Rural Libraries Serve Their Communities —by Jen Maffett (Pembroke) and Barbara Baig (Edmunds TWP) Note: a shorter version of this appeared in the Bangor Daily News as an Op Ed. A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life. —Henry Ward Beecher When most people think of a library, they’re likely to picture one in a big city—Bangor, perhaps, or Portland. They’re likely to imagine impersonal rows of book stacks, carousels of DVDs, a score of

Op Ed written by Jennifer Maffett, published in The Quoddy Tides, April 24, 2026 I listened in on the Maine Library Commission’s April 6 meeting about the Rule they are creating to define public library standards. The meeting seemed less about standards than a cumulative pat on the back for the library profession. They also have a surprising and concerning approach to resource management in times when resources are being so stretched. MLC began their discussion stating that t

Op Ed in Portland Press Herald: Jennifer Maffett and Barbara Baig It’s National Library Week and Maine with its long history and geographical reach has many kinds of public libraries to celebrate. From tiny island libraries serving less than 100 patrons to city-based libraries serving almost 70,000 people, they all play an important role in their communities. Of the 257 libraries in Maine just over 40% serve a population of less than 2,000. It is those libraries I’d like to c

Southport Memorial Library, Southport

Dorcas Library, Prospect Harbor