Bangor Public Library

The Library continues to be an active part of the Bangor community. An average of 1,448 books and other materials are "checked out" of the Library everyday. The Library serves as a community center, offering meeting space, programs for adults and children, and monthly exhibits of art and artifacts, while fulfilling its historical purpose "to preserve and disseminate knowledge and thoughts.., to provide recreation through print and to provide a maximum of assistance to its clients in the use of its collections....[the Library] aims to provide material on all subjects likely to be of concern or interest either to present or potential users of whatever age or education."

Values Statement

We believe that a free public library is essential to the public good.

We believe that a free public library is essential to our system of self-government which assumes the existence of an informed citizenry.

We believe that all library users are entitled to the highest level of service.

We believe that all library users have the right to privacy, confidentiality, and intellectual freedom.

Mission Statement

The Bangor Public Library strives to inspire, enlighten and enrich its members by connecting them to books, information and ideas needed for work, recreation, education and inspiration by providing excellent library service to its members and community.

Vision Statement

The Bangor Public Library contributes to the prosperity and growth of the city by fostering the spirit of exploration, the joy of reading, the pursuit of knowledge, and the preservation of its community's history.

History of the Library

It all began with seven books in a footlocker. In 1830, a small chest was kept in the publishing office of John S. Sayward on Exchange Street. It contained the first library of the Bangor Mechanic Association. Members could check out two books at a time; their sons or apprentices could check out one. As the collection increased, it was moved to ever-larger reading rooms in several downtown locations.

The Mechanic Association's Library was not the only one in town, but it was the one that survived. With the 1873 absorption of the Bangor Mercantile Association and its Library by the Mechanic Association, the collections of six libraries had come together in one location and were known as the Bangor Mechanic Association Public Library.

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