Boothbay’s municipal office staff has a novel idea for stocking library shelves in the town office. The staff wants to fill two nearly empty bookcases in the conference room with donated books by Maine authors.

The office has several books of Maine statutes and past town reports. But the staff envisions a library with a more diverse selection. “It’s something we’ve talked about doing since the building opened,” said Assistant Town Clerk and Treasurer Tracey Hodgdon Hyson.

One of the first donated books is Richard Russo's "Empire Falls." Town Clerk Lynn Maloney bought it at a secondhand store. “I really liked it,” she said. “It’s kind of a comical portrayal of life in a small Maine town after a mill closes.” 

The story is a fictionalized version of life in a decaying and nearly bankrupt Maine paper mill town. Russo won a 2002 Pulitzer Prize for a novel. And his story was made into a 2005 HBO miniseries starring Paul Newman. Russo is a New York State native. He taught literature at Colby College in Waterville before he retired. In the summer, he lives in Portland. 

But the Boothbay town office’s library isn’t a typical one. The staff wants people to review their selection, but the books won’t be lent out. “We want people to come and see what we have to offer, but this is not a lending library,” Maloney said. “We’re hoping if people like a book, they will see if it’s available at the public library.”

Anyone who has a Maine-based book available for donation should bring it to the municipal office.