“Shhhh” is a sound you will never hear in the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library Children’s room!

“We like to think of this as a fun, creative space where imagination reigns and anything is possible.” says children’s librarian, Jen Betts. Betts has worked at BHML for the past three years, and prior to that worked as librarian at Lincoln Academy for three years and Skidompha Public library for eight years.

“We have a wealth of books here for every grade and reading level on almost any topic you can imagine” Betts continues “We even have a well stocked parenting/teacher section providing ideas on activities, addressing behavior issues or setting up a syllabus for homeschooling.

“We offer so much more than books alone. Kids and parents can check out games, learning kits and even Audubon Adventure backpacks on topics such as plants, wildlife or bird watching that come equipped with a host of tools to encourage children to get outdoors and beyond the confines of a regular classroom. We also create regular programming year round with a weekly storytime every Friday morning, Lego and gaming clubs, Homeschool Connection etc. There is always something happening.

“Just last weekend we had our first ever stuffy sleepover where kids dropped off a stuffed animal of their choice to spend an overnight in the Library. As you can imagine, they got up to quite a lot of mischief. Kids returned the following morning to for hot chocolate and donuts and to watch a video of their exploits. It was a great success, and something we will definitely be repeating.”

One of our favorite activities is the Summer Passport program, now in its fourth year. In addition to encouraging kids to read more over the summer, it’s a time to celebrate the culture of literacy that our region fosters through the sponsors that make our summer reading program possible. Last year was our biggest yet with 119 children participating, resulting in 316 separate library visits, 740 reading challenges completed, and well over 1,000 collective hours of reading! That is something to be proud of.

Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, 4 Oak Street, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538. (207) 633-3112.