Millinocket Memorial Library’s Mission Helped by Thrive Penobscot

Our mission at Millinocket Memorial Library is to enrich lives by empowering people, inspiring imaginations, and building community through lifelong learning. We are a small organization with a big vision and we depend on our many partners throughout the region to help us achieve our goals.

A mission as broad as ours allows for opportunities to work in many different areas. Over the past several months we have offered programs and services ranging from workshops on raising chickens and beekeeping to basic computer classes. We’ve hosted award-winning authors, business meetups, and travelogues on different areas of the world. Through Thrive Penobscot we’ve been able to offer programs on health and nutrition, eating better on a budget, and elder care.

In addition to our more traditional services, our partnerships with Thrive Penobscot members have also allowed us to connect community members with experts and services in somewhat unconventional ways. Every Wednesday, a Community Development Manager from Our Katahdin holds office hours at the library to discuss opportunities for economic development and different community projects. This partnership has already led to several different initiatives and we have found it to be a great way to enhance communication and build community throughout the region. On Fridays from 1-3, a Career Advisor from Easter Maine Development Corporation holds office hours in the library and offers free career advice for patrons. The library already plays a vital role in providing access to computers, high speed broadband, and computer classes, and the addition of career counseling services positions the library as a true one-stop-shop for job seekers in the region. Finally, Eastern Area Agency on Aging now offers free individual consultations to help people that have trouble finding healthy meals prepare a plan of action to help with food insecurity.

This summer we have been working with a number of partners on an oral history project for our region. The Katahdin Story Booth Project is a community initiative to record and share the personal stories of the people that have lived, worked, and shaped the Katahdin Region we know today. Through sound recordings, we invite people to tell their stories to each other, helping preserve our past as we prepare for the future. Please visit our website at www.millinocketmemoriallibrary.org/storybooth to learn more about the project, including how you can participate.

Our team is made up of dozens of volunteers and countless community partners. For nearly 100 years, the Millinocket Memorial Library has served the evolving needs of our region we are proud to carry on the tradition. With the strong support of our community, we will continue to transform our library into a dynamic and innovative hub of learning. If you don’t have already have one, please stop in for a free card! As a popular mystery author once put it, “A library card is the start of a lifelong adventure!”.