Wells Public Library, Wells, Maine

Wells Public Library
1434 Post Road
Wells, Maine 04090
(207) 646-8181

http://www.wellslibrary.org/

I visited here several times. The top photo was taken in January, and the one above was taken in the spring.

Lots of flyers by the inside entrance, as this town is very touristy and near the ocean. These make it easy to play your visit.

A planned visit to the Wells Ogunquit Historical Society in January 2019 was a disappointing waste of a lovely warm winter day. Even though we read from the website the would be open, it wasn't. Wells is active beach community in the summer, but it was dead this day. Fortunately, the public library was just up the street, maybe a mile. So, we went to see if they had any genealogy information for my husband and information as to why the Historical Society was closed.

The reference librarian was very kind and tried to find out about the opening, but they came up empty-handed. She did made a photocopy of the Historical Society's flyer and gave it to me (shown below). Information about the library and the Reference Section is shown below.

The library was rather quiet. My husband is in the reference section, checking over a book.

See the Maine books below.

Sweet clock made of books, and wall hanging with a photo of Taylor Swift.


Since it was a nice day, we walked the grounds of the Historical Society and took photos. The Historical Society is in the church shown below.

The Google map shows the library at the very top, and the Historical Society at the bottom. Unfortunately, the Historical Society was closed.

Reference Services

The Wells Public Library’s Adult Services Librarian is glad to assist you in finding the most helpful and appropriate sources for your research or reference needs. The library has a well-stocked reference department including many books, local history materials, and online resources.

We have a collection of information about Wells and surrounding towns, York County and the State of Maine.  We have many sources for your local history or genealogical research including in-library access to Ancestry.com, Town Reports, Wells High School yearbooks, vital records, cemetery inscriptions, marriage records, Maine wills, information about historical buildings in Wells, newspaper clippings, and pamphlets, and some old maps.  If we don't have what you need,  we can refer you to other libraries, historical societies and museums in our area.

In addition to our own resources, the Wells Public Library is part of the Minerva Consortium, which is comprised of more than 65 participating libraries. Wells Public Library patrons are able to browse and borrow items from all other Minerva libraries. Want instruction on using our shared Minerva catalog? Patrons may schedule an appointment with the Reference Librarian to learn how to search for and request items.

The Wells Public Library also offers our patrons a free connection to many online magazines and newspapers via Digital Maine Library Using this resource, patrons can search for and download full articles from magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals and online reference sources.

As part of the Southern Maine Library District, Southern Maine residents are able to apply for a free Portland Public Library card at our library.  With a Portland Public Library card patrons have access to many additional online resources including downloadable audio and e-books, an online auto and small engine repair reference center, genealogy databases, online foreign language instruction, testing resources, and business and research materials.

We welcome you to our library and will gladly assist you with all of your reference needs. Please feel free to call, email or stop by today!

New Building Information

The Wells Public Library is pleased to report that their new 3,340 square foot addition opened on June 16th, 2018. It contains a quiet study room, administrative space, and an 86 seat community program room. For photos, a history of the project, or more information, please see our website at:

Want Santa Gifts from Lowell, Massachusetts?

There are great gift ideas in the gift shop in the Lowell National Historical Park building on Market Street. Free parking available from the Dutton Street entrance. Do note, there is a lot of construction, but you should be fine. The shop is open year-round, but they seem to have more items than ever before. I visited the visitor's center recently and decided to take these photos to give everybody an idea of what they have. Christmas is quickly approaching, and if you like to touch and see your items before wrapping, why not spend your money in Lowell?

Lowell made dish towels. How cool is this?

A lot of games and toys for children.

Variety of books about Lowell, some by Lowell authors.

"Lowell" clothing.

McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Maine

McArthur Public Library

270 Main Street

Biddeford, York Co., Maine

https://www.mcarthurlibrary.org/

I always enjoy old libraries and even the ones with new additions to the original building. The McArthur Library is the only library I've visited where the original library was in a church. Another thing I like is when I see an archives room, or a local history room or section in the building.

We were in Biddeford, Maine on a quiet September day to visit their library, and were quite surprised to see a full-time security guard seated near the librarian. I had a chat with him and discovered that there had been enough theft in the library to warrant his position.

Biddeford is a coastal town 15 miles from Portland. I often drive through it on the highway but have never gone into the downtown area. The city brings back a memory of when my girlfriend and I took a bus from Lowell to Biddeford and then transferred to another bus to take us to a town near Lewiston, where she lived. I think I remember this because we traveled during a large snowstorm in December (abt. 1967) and saw Christmas decorations along the way. 

To research for genealogy resources, click on their website, then go to Research, then History and Genealogy. You will be taken to the Archives & Special Collections (there are several options to choose from.) 

Photo of old entrance and staircase to the first floor.

First floor of the Pavilion Congregational Church photo, circa 1860. This room is now the children's room. Below is the a photo of the balcony, looking down at the old front door.

Some of the library is housed in the old church, shown below. A new addition was completed in 1996.

New Local History area, above and below.

Biddeford and Maine books.

New area with a display of historical artifacts.

Map of Biddeford and Saco.

The new area for books, reading and study areas.

Looking down Main Street, the view is a few feet from the library.

Mentioned below: "Robert McArthur bought the Pavilion Congregational Church at 270 Main Street and in October of 1902, it became the library's permanent home."