We are so excited to announce that beginning February 1 we will be offering passes to the Chocolate Church Arts Center as part of our Museum and Parks passes collection!
Just like with the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens or the Maritime Museum, you will soon be able to check out ticket passes to the Chocolate Church Arts Center to attend cultural events for free. All you need is a library card!
This program has been created in partnership with Chocolate Church Arts Center and Curtis Memorial Library, and will run for a six-month pilot period. During this time, Curtis and Patten library card holders will be able to check out two free tickets to any of the Chocolate Church Arts Center’s wide variety of eligible events slated for the 2026 season. This program is part of a series of accessibility and affordability initiatives that aim to dismantle systemic paywalls around live art experiences, bringing people closer to the arts and to each other.
Come see what we have to offer!
February 3-April 9 by appointment only.
Get help with your taxes from Tax-Aide volunteers. This program is open to all, regardless of age or income.
Appointments open Monday, January 26. No appointments available on Feb 10.
To make an appointment call 207-443-5141 x1555 and leave a message with the following information:
There are limited number of appointments available each day between 10am-3pm. Slots will be filled in the order calls are received. A staff member will return your call within 2 business days and will try to accommodate your schedule. If you do not answer, an appointment time will be assigned to you and the information will be left in a voicemail. If you need to change an appointment time please call back and leave a message.
Calling x1555 is the only way to make, change, or cancel a reservation.
Walk-ins will not be accepted.
One winner and one honorable mention will be named in each of the following categories:
Grades 6-9: Short Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Poetry
Grades 10-12: Short Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Poetry
Adults: Short Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Poetry
Short Fiction includes any style, genre, or content, including short stories and novel excerpts up to 1500 words. No fan fiction please.
Creative Non-Fiction includes personal essay and memoir of any style, as long as it is true, up to 1500. No academic papers please.
Poetry includes any style or genre of poetry up to 30 lines.
Winners from each category will receive a small honorarium in the form of a Gift of Bath Gift Card and have their work published in Pharos, a Patten Free Library Literary Magazine. Poetry contest winners may be featured in our annual Poetry Walk. All winners will be honored at a reception in April.
The Writing Contest is made possible with support from the Friends of the Patten Free Library.
Entries accepted February 1-March 1.
Brian Stanton is a Bath native in his thirty-second year of teaching English at Morse High School. Brian created the Poetry elective at Morse and has emceed numerous Poetry Slams and Poetry Out Loud competitions. Over years of writing instruction across fiction and research to college application essays, Brian is proud to have shepherded Bath’s brightest young minds through some of their formative years in literature.
Deb Stetson is an experienced writer and editor whose background includes reporting for an award-winning weekly newspaper on Cape Cod, editing a regional lifestyle magazine, contributing to a business magazine, heading an arts and entertainment section for a chain of weekly newspapers and handling public relations for a nonprofit organization. While working as an assistant to the editor of a young adult book publisher, she was involved with selecting manuscripts and worked with authors on developmental editing. She currently works as a copy editor and writes fiction in her spare time, now working on what she fervently hopes is the final revision of a completed novel. She is the founder and facilitator of the Patten Free Library Writers Group, which meets at the library weekly. Having relocated from Cape Cod to Maine in 2023, she lives in Brunswick.
Submission Guidelines:
One submission per author per category. Simultaneous submissions are allowed but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Fiction and Non Fiction entries may be up to 1500 words. Entries longer than 1500 words will not be considered.
Poetry entries may be up to 30 lines. Entries longer than 30 lines will not be considered.
Submissions are judged blind. Do not include the writer’s name anywhere on the submission itself.
Patten Free Library retains first publication rights to the work of the winners (all other rights automatically return to the author after publication).
Use of generative AI, such as chatGPT, is not allowed.
Teen entrants must be in grades 6-12, live in the Library service area, hold a valid Patten Free Library card, or attend an R.S.U. 1 school or school located within the Library service area (Arrowsic, Georgetown, Bath, West Bath, or Woolwich).
Adult entrants must be 18 years or older and live in the Library service area (Arrowsic, Georgetown, Bath, West Bath, or Woolwich) or hold a valid Patten Free Library card. All members of the PFL Writers Group, even those who live outside the PFL service area, are eligible for consideration. Library staff are not eligible for consideration.
Previously published work will not be accepted.
Submissions accepted via online submission form or in print. Do not include the author’s name anywhere on the submission piece. Do include a header on each page with title, category, and page number.
Failure to adhere to contest guidelines will result in your work being withdrawn from consideration.
Electronic submission:
Submit Here
Print submission:
Writing Contest c/o Patten Free Library
33 Summer Street
Bath, ME 04530
Questions? Call or email Hannah (207-443-5141 x1021, hlackoff@pattenfreelibrary.org)
The Sagadahoc History and Genealogy Room announces the twenty second annual Town History Series!
The Town History Series is a long-standing Patten Free Library tradition that brings together Patten Free Library’s member communities to learn about and celebrate each town’s local history. The town of Arrowsic and the historical societies of Bath, Georgetown, West Bath, and Woolwich are invited to select a speaker to present on an aspect of their local history.
The 2026 Town History Series will be presented in person and streaming live on YouTube. Reservations are required to attend in person. You must register for each individual program, and walk-ins will only be accepted if there is space in the room at the time of the program’s start. Register at the link below or call The History Room at 207-443-5141 x1018.
Click on the individual listing below to learn more and register online. Recordings will become available below and on the Town History Series playlist the week after they are live.
Stream on YouTube
Bath Climate Conversations is a continuing series focused on learning, discussing, and connecting around ways to sustain and support our vibrant town as climate change occurs. Hosted by Bath Climate Action Commission in partnership with Kennebec Estuary Land Trust and the Patten Free Library and presented in person and/or on Zoom.
Click on the link for each program for more details and to register. Registration is required for Zoom only.
Wednesday, November 12 at 5:30pm
Wednesday, January 14 at 5:30pm
Wednesday February 11 at 5:30pm
Wednesday, March 11 at 5:30pm
One Saturday per month from 10am-12:30pm
Why replace when you can repair? Our expert volunteers will help repair your electronics, lamps, furniture, jewelry and small appliances; mend clothing, and sharpen tools.
If we are unable to repair your item we will make suggestions on where you can find the parts and learn how to do the repair or have it professionally repaired. This is a first come, first served program and depending on the turnout we can’t guarantee we will be able to help everyone or repair every item. Please bring your items with you to the library.
Presented in partnership with Curtis Memorial Library, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and Merrymeeting Community and Adult Education. Repair Café will rotate between locations.
January 10: Patten Free Library
February 14: Habitat for Humanity ReStore
March 7: Merrymeeting Community and Adult Education
April 4: Patten Free Library
May 2: Habitat for Humanity ReStore
June 13: Curtis Memorial Library
July 11: Merrymeeting Community and Adult Education
All Repair Cafés take place on Saturday mornings from 10am-12:30pm
Learn More
On behalf of the 1000 Books Foundation, PFL invites you to participate in this program which encourages you to read 1,000 books with your child before they start kindergarten. Register online or at the children’s desk and receive your packet with all the necessary information for this program!
Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, and/or toddler. The goal is to have read 1,000 books (yes, you can repeat books!) before your child starts kindergarten. If you read just 1 book a night, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think! Let’s do this!
The Sharing Table is moving to its summer home in the Library Park Gazebo! Everyone is welcome to free fresh vegetables gleaned from local farms and provided by the Merrymeeting Gleaners and Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program. The Sharing Table is here every Tuesday from 12-2:30 pm.
Practice your reading with one of our dog volunteers! Dogs are non-judgmental listeners and help foster confidence in readers who may need a little extra encouragement. Reluctant readers of all ages are welcome. Only readers need to register, any accompanying adults do not. Visit our website to see the schedule and sign up.
Greta: 1st Wednesdays, 3pm
Harper: 2nd Wednesdays, 5pm
Abby: 3rd Thursdays, 3pm
Leila: 4th Thursdays, 3:30pm
We would like to thank the many members of the community who responded to our library survey last summer. We were pleased to see such a high response rate with representation from each of our service areas: the City of Bath and the towns of Arrowsic, Georgetown, West Bath, and Woolwich. The information you reported and the dreams you shared help us Build Our Future with reimagined spaces and expanded services to meet your aspirations for the Patten Free Library.
What you value:
Collections: You consider the library’s physical collections of books, audiobooks, DVDs, and magazines essential. Many respondents expressed the desire for larger collections with an increase in new and current items. Among digital collections, respondents ranked the importance of CloudLibrary and Newspaper Archive high. We will continue to expand our library holdings, including our unusual things to borrow (our “Library of Things”), and strengthen our collections with the confidence that they are at the core of our library services.
Space: You love the historic majesty of our building, but would like to see it supplemented with more modern comforts such as air conditioning and cozy work and reading spaces throughout. Many of you ranked energy efficiency as an essential goal for a public space and we are pleased to lead by example with our current energy reduction and infrastructure improvement project. The project’s roof replacement, conversions to heat pumps and LED lighting, and mounted solar array reflect the Library’s commitment to environmental sustainability and prudent stewardship. We heard those of you feeling overheated loud and clear: our entire HVAC system is being updated, which will include air conditioning by summer 2025!
Services: The timing of our survey coincided with an unanticipated disruption in the statewide delivery of Interlibrary Loan materials, and boy, did we hear it! Over 70% of you ranked interlibrary borrowing as essential. Our partnership with library consortia such as Minerva, MaineCat, and Out of State borrowing helps expand access and shorten wait times for library items, and you sure missed it when it was gone! Thankfully, this disruption was only temporary, and interlibrary loan services are back and going strong. You also rated access to technology as another essential service. We devote considerable staff time and expertise to provide current technology that works for you. We also offer technology training in small group or individual settings in our effort to improve access and build digital literacy.
Programming: You overwhelmingly indicated that you love our programming, but you want more! More hybrid programming, more programs for diverse age groups (including teens and children), more evening and weekend offerings. We received many specific suggestions for programs we already offer, so we realize we need to do a better job of getting the word out! Programs such as Repair Café, author talks, History Room lectures, book-a-librarian, crafts, music, and book clubs are all things that you are looking for that can be found here at PFL. We are currently expanding our teen programming and working on finding new and better ways of advertising all library programs so they are easier to discover.
Fundraising and Development: Patten Free Library thrives because of the generosity and advocacy of its community. Many of you already support the library through donations, bottle returns, book sales, and by voting for town financial support. We also heard from those who were surprised to learn that PFL is only partially funded by our municipalities, and that we rely heavily on our non-profit status to raise the balance of our operating funds. This awareness has inspired several of you to consider future gifts! Many appreciate the role of the Friends of the Library and suggested that adjusting meeting times could encourage broader participation from working patrons and parents. There is strong enthusiasm for sustainable giving options, including monthly donations, to ensure that PFL remains a vibrant and accessible resource for generations to come. As we work toward a more sustainable future, we are actively engaging in discussions around major gifts and expanded fundraising efforts to help bring to life the projects and improvements highlighted in this survey.
Barriers: In asking about impediments to library use, we wanted to identify barriers that obstruct our delivery of services or limit access to the building. Many of you mentioned parking, hours of operation, transportation and the time demands of modern life. While we can’t do anything to slow life down, or expand the municipal city owned parking lot, we can and will reevaluate our current operating hours. We will also be expanding services to include convenient options for self-checkout and self-serve hold pickups. Time is precious – we appreciate yours!
Many of you indicated you would be interested in supporting the library by giving a donation, assisting with a fundraiser, volunteering, or joining a focus group or listening session. We will be reaching out in the coming months to those of you who provided your information along with the survey, and we thank you for your interest! If we do not have your information, or you have additional questions, please reach out to Library Director, Lesley Dolinger, (207) 443-5141 x 1015, or by email.
Thank you all for taking the time to complete our Community Survey. We appreciate you sharing your likes, dislikes, hopes, and dreams for the Patten Free Library.
Patten Free Library Staff
