HARPSWELL

Curtis Memorial Library is making it a little easier for Harpswell residents to check out books by hosting a pop-up library sessions at Harspwell Town Hall every Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. Harpswell residents can skip the drive into Brunswick as two librarians from Curtis bring a variety of books, library materials and tech equipment to the Town Office and help them browse.

Two pop-up library sessions have taken place so far.

“I think it’s wonderful that we have this here in Harspwell,” said Roz Knight, a Harpswell resident who is used to making the 20- minute trek up to Brunswick. “It’s so convenient, and it saves you a trip to town. I’m looking forward to more visits.”

Librarian Sarah Brown said that the idea for a pop-up library in Harpswell has been in the works for some time.

“We have been experimenting in pop-up libraries over the past couple of years, going to some local retirement communities and delivering materials and resources there,” said Brown. “We’ve had some feedback from the Harpswell community that it’s an awfully long drive into Brunswick, especially in the winter. So we really wanted to try and connect with those who maybe can’t get up to the library and bring the library to them.”

Folks can pick up and return books at the Town Office during pop-up library hours, sign up for library cards and request books from Curtis Library to be brought down on the following week. Two librarians will be on hand to answer questions, and a library technician can be requested ahead of time if people need tech help.

Folks can learn about downloading ebooks and audiobooks through Curtis Library’s new online downloading system, cloudLibrary.

“We have the new cloudLibrary up and running, and can answer download questions,” said librarian Marian Dalton. “There’s always a learning curve when you switch systems, and having someone down here to answer questions will help us get ebooks to more people.”

In addition to standard genres such as fiction, nonfiction and children’s literature, the pop-up library features a rotating topic each week.

“This week we are featuring gardening and cook books, and last week we featured narrative nature stories,” said librarian Pamela Jenkins, who was also on hand Tuesday. “We also brought a lot of new books down this time around. We’re just trying out different things. We can’t have a full branch down here, but we want to bring as much as we can to Harpswell.”

To learn more about Curtis Memorial Library’s pop-up library at the Harpswell Town Office or to reserve a book for the next session, visit curtislibrary.com.

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