April 19-25, 2026 is National Library Week, and thanks to a proclamation by Governor Janet Mills, here in our state April is also officially Maine Library Month. To celebrate, the Maine State Library and Maine State Parks are partnering to offer a special day of free admission to participating state parks.
On Saturday, April 25, simply show your Maine library card at the entrance of any participating Maine state park and enjoy a day outdoors at no cost. Please use the flyers below to promote the event in your library and throughout your community!
“This collaboration is a perfect way to highlight the value of libraries and the exceptional outdoor values of Maine’s State Parks,” said Andy Cutko, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands Director. “Libraries open your mind to the world of literature and information, and on April 25, your library card is also a ticket to the outdoors.”
“Maine State Library is delighted to partner with Maine State Parks for Maine Library Month,” said Lori Stockman, Maine State Librarian. “With spring upon us, providing free admission to many Maine State Parks on April 25th is a natural extension of the types of services and resources that our public libraries provide regularly to Maine communities.”
Visitors are encouraged to bring a favorite book, find a shady spot, and enjoy some quiet reading time surrounded by Maine’s natural beauty. Whether it’s a novel at Crescent Beach State Park, poetry under a pine at Lamoine State Park, or a field guide on a trail atop Bradbury Mountain State Park, the day is a celebration of learning, relaxation, and connection.
Don’t have a library card yet? Stop in to PFL to sign up! It’s free, and your library opens the door to countless opportunities, from books and digital resources to programs and events.
To explore Maine State Parks, including maps and locations, visit parksandlands.com.
Free admission applies to day-use at Maine’s Maine State Parks and Historic Sites on Saturday, April 25, from 9:00 a.m. until closing.
The Seed Library is now open!
The majority of seeds for the 2026 Seed Library were donated by Fedco Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Additional seeds have been provided by patrons like you! We are starting the year with beans, beets, broccoli, corn, greens, herbs, peas, root vegetables, squash, and an assortment of flowers. Availability may vary.
Community donated seeds shared by the Seed Library were grown with love and care like our ancestors have done for thousands of years. Please know they may not meet state germination or labeling standards.
We try our best to ensure the quality of our seed using best practices in inventory care and labeling. Nonetheless, seeds are alive and people using the seed library have varying degrees of skill in saving seeds. You should know that you might experience low germination rates or receive seeds that were not properly labeled. This is a volunteer-run project, and we do the best we can with the time and resources we have.
How does the Seed Library work?
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Patten Free Library’s 2026 Annual Writing Contest! We can’t wait to share the winning pieces with the public in our literary magazine, Pharos, which will be published in April.
The 11th Annual Writing Contest was open to writers of Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Poetry in grades 6-12 and adults. Our judges had an especially difficult time choosing from all the excellent submissions, and would like to congratulate everyone who entered, as would the staff of the Patten Free Library!
It is no small thing to be brave enough to share your words with the world, and you are all winners in our book (and we know books!). Congratulations to everyone who entered!
On April 1, The Patten Free Library will offer free passes to the Bath Skate Park to library card holders. This program reflects a commitment to accessibility and community from both organizations.
We add this opportunity to our growing Museum and Parks Pass collection; an assortment of free or heavily discounted passes to museums and other local attractions, including the Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens, the Chocolate Church, and Maine State Parks.
“By offering experiences that our patrons might not otherwise be able access or afford, we are expanding the possibilities of what libraries can do for their communities,” says Patten Free Library Program and Outreach Manager Hannah Lackoff, “The Bath Skatepark is the perfect addition to this program, and we can’t wait for our patrons of all ages to see what the park has to offer!”
The Bath Skatepark is the largest indoor skatepark in Maine, offering over 6,000 square feet for skateboarding, inline skates, scooters, and BMX. The park is operated, in part, by local youth and riders and supports programs in the adjoining Midcoast Youth Center Teen Space.
“We really are thrilled to be part of the library’s collection of all the cool things that families can access at no cost,” says Midcoast Youth Center Director of Development Kirstie Truluck, “The research tells us that there are physical, social, cognitive and emotional benefits to skateboarding, and MYC is honored to build on the work of community youth who advocated for a skatepark nearly 20 years ago.”
Three Bath Skatepark passes are available per month, and can be used by up to four people ages five and up, including adults. Passes include equipment rentals. Access to passes is available to all Patten Free Library cardholders beginning April 1.
April 1-30 in Library Park
Now in its sixth year, the Patten Free Library’s Poetry Walk will take place in the month of April in Library Park. What began as a social distancing program in 2021 has become an annual tradition looked forward to by the community and staff alike.
Each year we install about twenty poems on yard sign style signs. We do our best to include poets of all ages, genders, and races, and select poems with a spring or hopeful theme. We invite the public to read the poems as they walk their dogs, play with their kids, and breathe in the spring air after a long winter.
The poetry walk will be on display throughout the month of April. Additional poets include local favorites, poetry from the History Room, and some bigger names viewers are certain to recognize.
Saturdays in April
10am-12:30pm
Registration required for each workshop. Click the link below to register.
Saturday, April 11
Infant massage strengthens the parent-child attachment relationship, promotes better sleep and aids in physical development, such as improved digestion and weight gain. Please bring a towel and olive or coconut oil for baby. Registration required.
Saturday, April 18
Making parents lives easier and babies happier. Learn how to provide infant care routines where the baby becomes an active participant in their care, cooperating, anticipating the steps, learning the routine, and gaining confidence! Registration required.
Deepen your connection with your baby through scripting routine activities and tuning into your baby’s cues, building communication and cooperation. Registration required.
A free public exhibition that reimagines a resilient and hopeful future for Bath and Harpswell in the face of climate change opened March 12 here at the Patten Free Library, along with Orr’s Island Library and Cundy’s Harbor Library in Harpswell, and Union and Co. in Bath.
The Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate exhibition series features a collection of designs for the cities’ working waterfronts, public parks and neighborhoods, developed by graduate and undergraduate students studying architecture, landscape architecture, fine art and urban design.
The 2025 Envision Resilience Midcoast Maine Challenge convened teams from University of Maine Augusta, Maine College of Art and Design, Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of Virginia with community stakeholders and local practitioners for an iterative process exploring innovative and adaptive solutions to challenges such as affordable housing, stormwater management, local industry and changing coastlines.
“The schematic student designs propose embracing rather than running from the stressors of a changing climate through innovating and reimagining infrastructure, housing and open spaces,” said Claire Martin, executive director of Envision Resilience. “Inspired by community leaders across Bath and Harpswell who generously gave their time and encouraged bold and visionary thinking, students have explored and proposed adaptive pathways that allow daily life to continue to thrive in the face of change.”
The collection of designs, curated by local artist Brian Smith and supported with illustrations by graphic artists Felipe Alvarez and Tamra Carhart, are equally visionary and tactile, innovative and implementable, exploratory and rooted in Maine’s hardy and spirited history and culture.
“This year’s exhibit tells the story of how design students engaged with the Midcoast’s built and natural landscapes and presents their contributions to ongoing conversations about resilience at the local and regional scale through craft and curiosity,” said Wendell T. Joseph, design studio manager of Envision Resilience. “Design shapes our material reality and our collective imagination. As our climate continues to change, expansive imagination continues to become critical and necessary. Thanks to our partnership with local libraries and community spaces, this body of work from design and art students is made available and accessible to the public—an invitation to imagine with us. We hope our audience leaves this exhibit with a deeper understanding of how design thinking and processes can help us better live with a changing climate.”
The Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate will run at the Patten Free Public Library in Bath, ME and at Orr’s Island Library and Cundy’s Harbor Library in Harpswell, ME through August 2026 and at Union + Co. in Bath, ME through April. Admission is free and the exhibition is open during library hours. Join the Bath Climate Commission, Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, Patten Free Library, and representatives from Envision Resilience for Bath Climate Conversations in person and virtually on Wednesday, March 11 at 5:30pm.
Since its inception, Envision Resilience has engaged more than 500 students from 20 universities, and partnered with hundreds of community leaders across Northeast communities throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine.
Envision Resilience
Envision Resilience works to advance innovative city planning and design in the face of climate change through student and community partnerships. By connecting current and future professionals working across disciplines, the organization creates opportunities for communities to reimagine climate challenges and inspire resilient solutions. Envision Resilience, founded by Wendy Schmidt, is part of the philanthropic organizations and initiatives created and funded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to work toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all.
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.
