Jesup Memorial Library

10/15/2026

On Wednesday, MDIHS students spent all morning at the library helping out in so many ways: reading to Pre-K kids, creating a gameboard for Life-Sized Candyland (coming soon!), and moving newspapers into our new archive. We are so grateful for their help!!! Thank you, MDI Volunteers!

10/15/2026

Every Thursday afternoon, the Next Chapter Book club meets at the Jesup to read and socialize together. So far, we've loved reading Tom Fish's collection of short stories, 'What Do You Want On Your Pancakes?'

We're looking for new members! Please email Program Coordinator Eloise at [email protected] to learn more.

Learn more about the Next Chapter Book Club model here: https://nextchapterbookclub.org/

10/13/2026

This Thursday, Oct. 15th, we look forward to a poetry reading with Weslea Sidon (and friends) to celebrate Weslea's new book, 'If Only.' The reading starts at 5:30pm and will be streamed and recorded.

Here's what Maine's poet laureate, Dawn Potter, has to say about Weslea's book:

If Only is both ode and elegy–to the Maine island where Weslea Sidon has lived for so long; to the beloved with whom she shared this life; to the animals, plants, and people that constitute her community. The brevity and simple language of these poems are the source of their emotional power. The world they describe–yard sales, bird feeders, school plays, lonely rooms–accure into a portrait of place that is both specific and universal. Always they remind us of Sidon’s deep and unsentimental sympathy with imperfection, her eagerness to find beauty in the awkward and the overlooked. These poems celebrate the ambiguities of time, the push-pull links among our inner life, our daily world, the unknown. As Sidon reminds us, “There is nowhere / you can go now, without going through.”

– Dawn Potter, Maine Poet Laureate, author of Calendar

10/09/2026

We had a blast at Tuesday's screening of THE LIBRARIANS at the Criterion Theatre. Thanks to all who showed up to see this timely Emmy-winning documentary and a provocative panel discussion with our all-star local librarians!

10/01/2026

We have an announcement for Libby app users! As of today, October 1st, Libby users will be required to input their PIN to access their account. This is the same credential that you use to access the online catalog. Please don't hesitate to call the circulation desk if you have questions -- we're here to help!

09/29/2026

This Thursday, October 1st at 5:30pm, don't miss our next author talk: Douglas Rooks will present "Transformational: Ken Curtis, Maine's Reform Governor." We can't wait!

When elected in 1966 at age 35, Ken Curtis was the nation’s youngest Governor. He served eight years through war and social upheaval, a liberal Democrat who nonetheless transformed state government and put it on a sound financial footing – all while working with a Republican Legislature. Creation of the University of Maine System, vastly expanding public educational opportunities, conserving wilderness and adopting landmark environmental legislation were only the beginning of his numerous successes. Sixty years later, the breadth and durability of these landmarks achieved amid daunting trials offers profound lessons from his time for our own.

Douglas Rooks, Maine historian and biographer, is also a lifelong journalist. He’s edited daily and weekly newspapers in Maine and New Hampshire, and has written a weekly opinion column for more than 45 years, winning state, regional and national awards.

Registration is encouraged at www.jesuplibrary.org/events

09/28/2026

Less than one week until Strengthening Community: Forging Connections Through Art takes place at the Jesup on Sunday, Oct 4th! We can't wait to host eight artists for an afternoon of art, music, and community conversation. There's still space at this free event - register before Thurs. September 30th to save your seat! Visit www.jesuplibrary.org/events for more information.

09/27/2026

Thanks, Bar Harbor Story, for this great writeup of the free artistic workshops that will take place at the Jesup on Sunday, October 4th from 4 - 6pm. Registration is open until Oct. 1st on our website. Join us for a fun afternoon in creative community!

In Bar Harbor, artists are creating a space for movement, music, collage, and play—an experiment in connection at a time when politics and the news can leave people feeling increasingly divided.

09/23/2026

Tomorrow (9/24) at 5:30pm, we're pleased to present a program with the Mount Desert Island Historical Society featuring Durlin Lunt, entitled "Otter Creek's Lost Waterfront."

Based on his 2026 Chebacco article, Durlin will explore how land acquisitions by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and the expansion of Acadia National Park systematically isolated the village from its ancestral shores and will advocate for a modern restoration of the village’s working maritime identity to remedy nearly a century of disenfranchisement.

As a lifelong resident and former Town Manager of Mount Desert, Lunt will examine the power dynamics between this small community and federal agencies, illustrating how unrecorded agreements transformed a thriving maritime hub into an "island within an island." The program will highlight efforts to reclaim the village’s ancestral shores and recent legislative efforts, such as the 2024 Waterfront Resolution, to reconcile generations of community isolation.

This program is available in-person and online. Register to attend at www.jesuplibrary.org/events

09/19/2026

Get to know the artists at the upcoming forum, "Strengthening Community: Forging Connections Through Art," on Sunday, Oct. 4th from 4:00 - 6:00pm. Liz Cutler, founder of ArtWaves, will lead a candle-dipping adventure using beeswax and simple invitations to conversation.

"Candle-making is like building connection. The process of applying to a simple wick layer after layer of clean wax, warmed to the right temperature, is similar to the process of making a warm and sustainable connection. With us humans, bringing a lively curiosity and a bit of compassion to the encounter are like bringing a strong clean wick – they are foundational to forging connection. And then the patience of building layer upon layer.

As a landscape painter, I find the most satisfaction in that feeling of “being there.” I want to capture that moment and then share my love of these special places. Additionally, I get the delicious pleasure of hanging my creations, so I can return to these scenes at will until I can return in person. My joy in my still-life work comes from collecting and capturing the everyday belongings of my family members who have already left us. In preparing to paint, I construct an arrangement of their keepsakes, while in my mind the image becomes an assembly of departed family members. The resulting paintings capture the sweet moments with these dear ones. It’s as if the painting experience and the resulting canvases heal whatever ruptures may have existed while these folks were living. It is a very lively and restorative endeavor for me.

I think that creating art in all its expressions is a way for people to express themselves beyond words and gives us all the power to muster through difficult times. Part of the creative process is in our capacity to create human connection. We aren’t meant to be solitary, but do we have the curiosity and patience for the layers of effort to make connection?"

Register to attend at www.jesuplibrary.org/events. Space is limited!