The Bangor Public Library is the

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...

. It shares the URSUS online cataloging system with the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

and other Maine libraries. The library's roots date to 1830, when the Bangor Mechanic Association assembled a private collection of books. In 1873, it absorbed several other associations' libraries and became the Bangor Mechanic Association Public Library. In 1883, former U.S. Congressman and

lumber baron A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

Samuel F. Hersey left the City of Bangor a $100,000

bequest A devise is the act of giving real property by will, traditionally referring to real property. A bequest is the act of giving property by will, usually referring to personal property. Today, the two words are often used interchangeably due to thei ...

, which the city used to form a municipally owned

. The Mechanic Association's 20,000 books formed the core collection. In 1905, the small membership fee was abolished and the library became truly open to all. By 1911, the library's collection had grown to 70,000 books. Then came the Great Fire of 1911, which destroyed the library along with most of the Bangor Business District. The library reopened that May with the 29 books pulled from the ashes and 1,300 others that had been on loan. (Today, the library is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as part of the Great Fire of 1911 Historic District.) In 1913, the library's new building, designed by the Boston architectural firm Peabody and Stearns, opened its doors near the high school. In 1997, the library was renovated and a new wing added (designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects), thanks to a donation from

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

and

Tabitha King Tabitha "Tabby" Jane King ( Spruce, born March 24, 1949) is an American author. Early life Born in Old Town, Maine, Tabitha King is the third eldest daughter of Sarah Jane Spruce (née White; December 7, 1923 – April 14, 2007) and Raymond ...

. King's story The Library Policeman was inspired by his 10-year-old son's expressed fear of returning overdue books to the Bangor Public Library because of "the library police". In 2014, the library was renovated again; plans included a new glass atrium designed by Scott Simons Architects. On an interesting note, the library contains the couch that former VP

Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republi ...

drew his last breath upon while playing cards too hard.

References

External links

Official Site

City of Bangor
{{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1913 Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Public libraries in Maine Peabody and Stearns buildings Libraries in Penobscot County, Maine Educational buildings in Bangor, Maine Tourist attractions in Bangor, Maine Historic district contributing properties in Maine 1830 establishments in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Bangor, Maine