Update 1/28/2020
We are currently at the yellow service level. All the details about library services are on the COVID-19 page, including the service level colors.
Our building is open to visitors, 30 minute limit. Masks and 6' distancing required.
Interlibrary loan is available. Curbside is always available! Details are on the Pickup page.
Please help keep our community safe. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Vaccines: Maine CDC website on vaccinations.

AARP Tax help information on our tax help page. Taxes due May 17.

Closed for Memorial Day, Monday May 31.

Upcoming Events and Activities

Spring Sights and Scraps

Tuesday, May 18, at 6:30pm
Location: Zoom
https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/86119346631
Dial by your location +1 646 876 9923
Meeting ID: 861 1934 6631

Friends of Sears Island and Carver Memorial Library co-sponsor a live Zoom presentation by Donne Sinderson, a Maine Master Naturalist and amateur photographer living in Orrington. She’s learned a lot through her camera and will share some of her shots and findings. Donne will give an overview of what to look for while exploring nature in Maine this time of year, using a variety of photographs taken in late May and early June. She will cover a wide range of topics including which wildflowers are blooming, animal behaviors to watch for, how to identify spring frog calls, and more. This general overview of spring ecology in Maine is sure to entice you to get out and observe this busy season in the wild!

Seed Library now open!

Come take some seeds and/or bring some to share.

Do you have seeds you are willing to share with your neighbors and community? Please bring the seeds to the library in their original packaging or in sealed envelopes with the name, variety, and year visible. Thank you!

A Spot of Tea Fundraiser

Hello tea drinkers and library supporters,
This year, in the spirit of the Spring Tea, we are having A Spot of Tea Fundraiser that allows you to celebrate Spring and support the Library in your own way.
This special fundraiser will specifically benefit beautification of the Carver Memorial Library grounds.

We have donation levels of all kinds, including a fun Tea for Two packet and opportunities for a private tea party! Please RSVP with your donation.
The Spot of Tea Fundraiser begins April 15 and the deadline is May 14.
(Regular donations gratefully accepted at any time!)
All the details on our Tea page: https://www.carverlibrary.org/tea.html

Book Club

Second Tuesday of the month, 1pm.
Location: Searsport Community Building
(former Lions), 42 Prospects St, Searsport. Masks and physical distancing required.
Come talk about this month's book club pick.
Upcoming titles:
May: Havener Sisters by Ardeana Hamlin
June: Fraternity Village - Ben Ames Williams
July: Winter at the door - Sarah Graves
August: Spoonhandle - Ruth Moore

Sears Island Storywalk:
Over in the Forest

May 4 to June 4, on the Homestead Trail.
As families walk along the woods path, they will find pages of the book Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek, by Marianne Berkes. This counting story, with beautiful cut paper illustrations, follows ten animals in their forest habitat. Children are encouraged to mimic the animals movements and behaviors as they read about each animal, and the words of the book can be sung to the tune of the song “Over in the Meadow.” This story will captivate young children and provide motivation to keep everyone moving along the trail so you can get to the end of the book!
Directions to the start of the story can be found by the kiosk just beyond the island gate. From start to finish, the story will cover approximately a half mile of the trail. Sears Island is located off of Route 1 on Sears Island Road, just east of downtown Searsport. To learn more about Friends of Sears Island check out www.friendsofsearsisland.org
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.

DIY Kits and DIY Together

DIY Kit: Visible Mending
Kits available Thursday May 7.
Learn new stitches and patterns for visible mending, based on Japanese sashiko techniques.
DIY Together
Thursdays at 3:30pm. Join the Crafternoon Zoom to do the DIY Kit project together, ask for help, or share your finished creation. All levels welcome! Join Zoom Meeting (link should work for recurring Crafternoons.) https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/221116293
Meeting ID: 221 116 293
One tap mobile: +16468769923,,221116293#

New kid's Take and Make activity kits on the first and third Fridays of the month.

Neighborhood Forest
free tree program

We are celebrating Earth Day this spring by participating in the 12th Annual Neighborhood Forest free tree program, whose aim is to provide free trees to kids every Earth Day.
Since 2010, Neighborhood Forest has reached over 60,000 families and planted over 30,000 (mostly urban and residential) trees through the hands of children and parents across North America.
We endorse this project and are excited to be participating in this wonderful program that teaches kids stewardship through the magic and wonder of planting and watching trees grow.

If you signed up for a free tree
Trees will be delivered to us and we will arrange to get the trees to your family on or around Earth Day (April 22nd).
Planting instructions and species information will be emailed a few days prior to the trees arriving.
(white spruce, 6-12 inches in size)

For more information about this program, please visit www.neighborhoodforest.org or www.facebook.com/neighborhoodforest.

Book Bundles

We are happy to make a grab bag/book bundle for you. Just tell us the age range (including adults!), and the topic or kind of books, movies, or audio that you are looking for. Perfect for busy parents, homeschoolers, or those who prefer not to come inside the building to browse.

Technology Classes

The National Digital Equity Center (based here in Maine!) offers a great variety of free online webinar classes for getting started with technology, including topics for personal use, education, work and business. Get started with Android Basics, Google Drive, Microsoft Excel, cloudLibrary, and much more! All the details are on their website at https://digitalequitycenter.org.

Reading Challenges

Carver Memorial Library encourages everyone, kids, adults, teens, and families, to take on our Reading Challenges! We encourage you to read widely and explore the library and the world around you. This summer the theme is “Imagine Your Story,” celebrating folk and fairy tales, imagination, and storytelling. It's also Maine's Bicentennial and Searsport's 175th anniversary! The challenges this year are Fairytales, Maine History, Searsport, and STEAM.

To complete each challenge, log reading and activities to earn an embroidered patch/badge. Independent readers read 5 books (appropriate to your reading level) and do 5 activities related to the theme. Family readers/children being read to/pre-readers read 10 books and do 5 activities.
All the details and log sheets on our Reading Challenge page.