BIDDEFORD — The Samuel Osher Memorial Library at Congregation Etz Chaim has received a $20,100 grant from The Mary L. and William J. Osher Foundation ​to automate circulation and improve the collection’s accessibility to the public.

The grant will help the library gain a wider audience in both the congregation and the larger York County community by providing internet access to the collection and extending library hours.

Library Director Maureen King has begun the groundwork for implementing the project, including a review of the entire collection to ensure all current record holdings are accurate. Subsequent steps will include contracting with a provider of cloud-based library services and preparing the collection for bar-code scanning circulation methods.

Community volunteers will be welcomed throughout the process, and tasks will vary from reshelving books to data-entry to bar-coding books and more.

The Samuel Osher Memorial Library was founded in 1998 in collaboration with the York County Jewish Community Council with a mission to provide access to Jewish books, music, videos, and educational materials for Congregation Etz Chaim members.

It was named for Samuel Osher, who died of liver cancer at age 43. Sam was a generous member who continuously supported the synagogue’s growth. His wife, Paula, served as co-chair of the original library committee.

In November 1999, the library opened with about 500 books and videos in a newly renovated space on the second floor of the 36 Bacon St. synagogue. Through donations and purchases, the library’s collection has grown to nearly 3,000 Jewish books, movies, music, and educational materials.

Over the past 20 years, the library has received ongoing support from the Congregation Etz Chaim Board of Directors, and gifts from members and friends of the synagogue.

Among the many local organizations that have provided generous contributions are the Ogunquit Summer Congregation, the Leo Lamson Memorial Fund of the Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine, the Law Offices of Joe Bornstein, and the Sam L. Cohen Foundation.

This most recent award from the Mary L. and William J. Osher Foundation is the second time the Foundation has assisted the library. The original grant in 2004 enabled the Library to install permanent shelving to hold the expanding collection and both grants have come at critical points in the library’s growth.

Congregation Etz Chaim is very grateful for the continuing support of the library by the Mary L. and William J. Osher Foundation.

For more information, for library hours, or to volunteer, visit etzchaimme.org/library/ or send an email to Library Director Maureen King at [email protected] or [email protected].