The library will open late at 12:00PM on Monday, June 13th to accommodate a staff training.
The library will be closedMonday, June 20th in observance of Juneteenth.
If you are sick: Please don't come in! Call 865-3307 when you arrive at the library and a staff person will bag up your items and place them outside the front door for you.
Special news bulletins:
Volunteers Needed for Fall Book Sale
It takes a lot of helping hands to run the Friends of Freeport Community Library's annual book sale and we need your help! Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks.
FFCL Book Sale
September 23-25 from 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Preview Night
September 22, 2022 from 4:00PM - 8:00PM ($20 per family)
Book sale volunteers can attend the Preview Night at no charge!
The FFCL is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization. The Friends book sale supports the museum pass program and selected programs and projects.
Free Passes for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
FCL is excited to offer free passes to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay courtesy of the Friends of Freeport Community Library group. Passes are available to active FCL cardholders with accounts in good standing. The pass is good for up to two adults with any number of children per day.
Patrons may reserve their pass online, in-person, or call 207-865-3307 to book their visit. Patrons must pick up the tickets at the library.
June Spice Club: Herbes de Provence Pickup begins Monday, June 27 at 3:30PM
Spice Club is a monthly take-and-make craft for adults. Swing by the library to pick up the month's unique spice and try one of the included recipes, or seek out your own inspiration!
The featured June "spice" is herbes de Provence. Spice Club kits include pre-portioned spice in a paper bag as well as regional/historical background and two recipes printed on cardstock. Pickup begins Monday, June 27 @ 3:30PM and will continue until supplies run out. This take-and-make craft is free and open to the public.
Adult Summer Reading
Tuesday, June 21 to Thursday, July 28
Adult Summer Reading's right around the corner, folks! Here are a few parameters to keep in mind:
There's no sign up, just read and fill out online raffle entries (link coming soon!).
At the end of each raffle entry, indicate which prize you'd like to be entered for.
This program is limited to FCL cardholders and Freeport citizens.
Keep an eye out for the Adult Summer Reading page on our website, which will include the raffle entry form. Those unable to fill out digital raffle entries on their own should call the library and speak to a staff member or stop by in person. Answering machine messages will not be considered valid entries.
Webb Space Telescope "First Light" Images Reveal
July event date pending
Scientific and educational institutions across the planet are gearing up to celebrate NASA's upcoming release of the first images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, images that will give us glimpses into the farthest reaches of space and time. FCL is one of only two libraries in the state participating as NASA community event host sites. Freeporter Jon Wallace, a NASA Solar Ambassador and retired teacher, had this to say:
"Webb will see further into space than any other scope (due to its incredible size!) and will show us all the way back to when the first stars formed and perhaps even when the first 'light' was released in the entire universe. It will give us unprecedented opportunities to answer the 4 goals of Webb:
1) See the 'first light/end of dark ages' of the universe!
2) See the first galaxies!
3) Witness the birth of stars and galaxies!
4) Explore exoplanets with the ability to search for the potential for life!"
Can you feel the excitement? Stay tuned for the official event listing as we collect more information from NASA. For a little more context, NASA compares the Webb and Hubble telescopes. And for a little sneak peak...
Images compiled by astronomer Andras Gaspar on Twitter illustrate the resolution capacity between telescopes. One of the first and only released images from the James Webb Space Telescope is on the right - astoundingly clear and marking a significant advancement in infrared astronomy.
Robin's Kanopy picks for June
Kanopy is FCL’s on-demand video streaming service that features independent, international, classic, and documentary films. Each month, Freeport Community Library cardholders get credits to watch up to 6 films per month. In addition, Kanopy offers a few credit-free films each month.
To Be Takei: A Star's Trek for Life, Liberty, and Love (2014 – Not Rated - Closed Captions)
Featuring George Takei
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times says, "To Be Takei is a celebration of a man of great resilience, infectious humor, a voracious appetite for the richness of the human experience, and the best laugh in the history of laughing." View the trailer or watch on Kanopy.
Supernova (2020 – Rated R – Closed Captions)
Starring: Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci
Devoted partners Sam and Tusker are traveling across England, visiting people and places from their past. Following a life-changing diagnosis, secret plans thoroughly test their love like never before. View the trailer or view on Kanopy.
Starring: Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz, and Susan Ziegler
In the mid-19th century, Emily Dickinson was writing prolifically and in a passionate romantic relationship with her sister-in-law, yet is still popularly believed to be a recluse. Informed by Dickinson's private letters, Wild Nights with Emily is a humorous and bold take on this iconic American poet, who found herself facing male literary gatekeepers too confused by her genius to take her work seriously. View the trailer or watch on Kanopy.
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989 – Not Rated – Closed Captions)
The Memorial Quilt was started in a San Francisco storefront by the NAMES Project in the summer of 1987…and by the fall of '88, the quilt had grown to include 8,288 panels, each a handmade memorial to a life lost to AIDS. Filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman first witnessed the quilt when it was barely a fraction of its final expanse, and they quickly moved to capture the NAMES Project's process. Their efforts won Epstein and Friedman the Oscar for Best Documentary. View the trailer or watch on Kanopy.
Chewonki: The Owls of Maine Tuesday, June 14 from 6:00PM - 7:00PM In-person event in FCL's Meeting Room
Chewonki of Maine will bring three live owls for a one-hour program at the library. Participants will learn the identifying characteristics and calls of each owl; then, using talons, wings, and skulls, they’ll explore the adaptations of these silent nocturnal hunters. The program ends with an intimate and detailed look at live owls, bringing these creatures of the night into the light! All ages welcome, and participation will be capped at 60 people. This event is free and open to the public. Masks are optional in town municipal buildings.
Note: to help prevent the spread of avian flu, please do not wear your yard work shoes and clothes if you have chickens or ducks at home.
Summer Reading and Math Program Tuesday, June 21 at 10:00AM to Thursday, July 28 at 5:00PM
Get ready to have fun and enter to win prizes with Freeport Community Library’s free Summer Reading & Math Program (SRMP). Kids can start tracking their books and math problems on June 1 and can start earning and submitting raffle tickets June 21 at 10:00AM through July 28 at 5:00PM. Prize winners will be notified on Friday, July 29. There are several ways to participate: as an Independent Reader, Teen Reader and by doing Bedtime Math. Participants track their reading and math, then fill out raffle tickets to enter to win a variety of prizes, many donated from local Freeport businesses. The SRMP is open to kids grade 8 and under who are Freeport residents, students of Freeport schools, or FCL cardholders.
The library is also hosting programs this summer during the SRMP that all are welcome to attend, which are listed below. More information can be found on our events calendar.
Chewonki Owls: June 14 from 6:00-7:00PM, in-person indoors, all ages Sparkle Poppers: June 29 at 5:00PM, grab & go craft, ages 8+ Storytime: Mondays and Thursdays at 10:15 and 10:45AM, in-person outdoors, ages 0-3 Campfire Bracelets: July 13 at 3:30PM, grab & go craft, ages 7+ Galactic S’mores: July 18 at 10:00AM, grab & go craft, ages 4+ Birch Bark Looms: July 21 at 3:30PM, in-person, ages 8+, signups encouraged Balancing Toys with Julie Yeo: July 26 at 3:30PM, in-person, ages 9+
Sparkle Poppers: A Grab-and-Go Craft Wednesday, June 29 at 5:00PM
This popper is bursting with surprises! Kits containing all you need to make one will be available at the Youth Services desk. This craft is perfect for celebrations, and once you learn the technique you can easily make more! The grab-and-go kit is for ages 8 and up. There will be 40 kits available on a first come, first served basis.
Storytime with Taylor Mondays and Thursdays 10:15AM and 10:45AM
In-person event outside the library
Come share stories, songs, and rhymes and enhance your weekly library trip! The same stories are used for that day's 10:15 and 10:45 sessions; Mondays and Thursdays have different stories. The storytimes are held outdoors under tents, rain or shine, unless there is severe weather, in which case that day’s program will be cancelled. There will be no storytimes on Monday, June 13 and Monday, June 20.
Check out these free resources:
Museum Passes
The Friends of Freeport Community Library and the Freeport Conservation Trust generously donate several family museum and park passes each year to FCL patrons. All passes are good for either free or reduced admission.
It’s easy to reserve your pass! Reservations can be made online or by phone. Passes should be picked up no sooner than a week in advance. When you stop by the library to pick up the pass, make sure to bring your library card. Passes can only be issued to card holders in good standing; please be aware that courtesy Teacher and Student cards are not eligible to use the passes. We are only able to issue one pass a day for each attraction so if your plans change let us know so that the pass may be used by others. Please give us a call at 865-3307 for more information.
Children's Museum and Theater of Maine
50% discount pass for up to 4 people.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Free admission for up to 2 adults and unlimited children.
Desert of Maine
Discounted $6.00 per person pass for up to 6 people.
Maine State Park Vehicle Pass
Free admission for one vehicle (up to 17 passenger maximum). Note: this is the only pass that cannot be reserved; these two passes have a 3-day lending period and are given out on a first come, first served basis.
Maine Wildlife Park
Discounted $3.50 per person pass for up to 7 people.
Portland Museum of Art
Free admission for up to 2 adults and 6 children.
