Pittsfield Public Library (Pittsfield, Maine)

Library Board of Trustees
Five trustees are appointed for staggered five year terms by the Pittsfield Town Council.
Curent trustees are Lancy Bradshaw, Mary Parsons, Barbara Jones, Jeanne Boisvert, and Tina Bernier.

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History
The library was built for the needs of the local population in 1903. It is located on the corner of Library and South Main Streets, across the tracks from the museum. It was built with a $15,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation and matched with $10,000 raised from the citizens of Pittsfield, and $5,000 from the estate of the late Robert Dodson. The library and monument to the soldiers of the Civil War, which is in front of the library, were dedicated in 1904 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, the same year the interior of the dome was painted. Granite inscriptions of World War I veterans are mounted on each side of the front entrance doors. The small masonry building and the land on which it sits is owned by the Town.
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Current information
The library operates as a Town department, with a five member advisory board of trustees. It is staffed by a professional librarian and three library assistants. It is primarily funded by local property taxes. The current collection consists of 22,000 volumes, 75 periodicals and a growing audio and video collection. Open 43 hours/week, the library's annual circulation reaches 32,000. There are four computer terminals available for access to the the library's online catalog, full text periodical databases and the Internet.

A distinctive feature of the library is its central dome. The interior of the dome has a mural painted by Maine humorist Tim Sample, entitled "Reading, the Gateway to Adventure." The colorful mural was painted in 1983, funded through a grant from the Maine Commission on the Arts and matching contributions from local donors.

The library has two floors. On the main floor are reference materials, new books, non-fiction, video tapes, audioboks, new periodicals, and the public access computers. One wing is set aside as the children's area. Support areas include a rest room, the librarian's office, staff work areas and a photocopier. The lower level houses all but the newest fiction, a kitchen, another rest room, an all-purpose room, and the Buker Room, which contains valuable Maine historical books.

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Mission Statement
The Pittsfield Public Library is a center for all members of the community gather to meet and interact.
The library provides:

General information and answers to questions

Support for personal growth and development through lifelong learning

Recreational reading and information about popular cultural and social trends

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Library Materials Available

Books for adults and children
Magazines and newspapers
Large print books
Video cassettes
Audio books
Reference books and encyclopedias
Online periodical databases
Income tax forms
Local Pittsfield newspaper on microfilm
Telephone books for major Maine areas
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Library Services Available

Reference assistance
New acquisitians list
Photocopying
Loans from other libraries
Public access to the Internet
Renewals of library materials
Reserves of library materials
Off hours bookdrop
Storytimes for preschool children
Summer reading program
Meeting room for small groups
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Annual reports

Annual Report 2003
Annual Report 2002
Annual Report 2001
Annual Report 2000
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