| Skidompha Public Library | |
|---|---|
 Skidompha Public Library, Main Street | |
 | |
| Location | Damariscotta, Maine, United States |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1905 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 1,177,921 (2021) |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 47,049 (2021) |
| Population served | 5,613 |
| Other information | |
| Director | Matthew Graff |
| Employees | 8 |
| Website | www |
The Skidompha Public Library is the public library serving Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Nobleboro in Maine. [1]
On March 13, 1905, the Skidompha Library Association was incorporated[ citation needed ] and its collection of 1,476 books was given to the three towns (Damariscotta, Newcastle and Nobleboro) as the start of a Free Public Library. [2] The library was established over the Charles M. Jones Grocery Store on Main Street. [3] In 1922, the Library Association and Women's Club of Damariscotta purchased the Stephen Coffin House [4] which served as a library and meeting place until 2001, when the larger, current facility on Main Street opened.
"SKIDOMPHA" is an acronym formed from letters in the names of Skidompha's founding club members: [5]
Skidompha Public Library was awarded the prestigious National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation's highest honor for museums and libraries, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in 2008. [6] [7] Skidompha was one of just five libraries in the United States selected to receive the medal for its outstanding community engagement, services and innovative programming for adults learning to read, senior citizens, young reluctant readers and more. The award ceremony was held at the White House in Washington, D.C., with First Lady, Laura Bush (also a librarian), presiding.
The library is one of the few libraries in Maine designated as a "Star Library" by Library Journal. [8]
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,237. Its seat is Wiscasset. The county was founded in 1760 by the Massachusetts General Court from a portion of York County, Massachusetts and named after the English city Lincoln, the birthplace of Massachusetts Bay Provincial Governor Thomas Pownall.
Damariscotta is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,297 at the 2020 census. Damariscotta is the oyster capital of New England. A popular tourist destination, the towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle are linked by the Main Street bridge over the Damariscotta River, forming the "Twin Villages". The name Damariscotta derives from a native place-name meaning place of abundance of small fish (alewives).
Newcastle is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,848 at the 2020 census. The village of Newcastle is located in the eastern part of the town, on the Damariscotta River. Together with the village of Damariscotta linked by the Main Street bridge, they form the Twin Villages.
The Damariscotta River is a 19.0-mile-long (30.6 km) tidal river in Lincoln County, Maine, that empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Damariscotta is an old Abenaki word for "river of many fishes". There are 2,500-year-old oyster shell middens (heaps) along the banks of the Damariscotta River, which occupies a drowned river valley leading to the Gulf of Maine, a large embayment of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Mid Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Maine that includes the coastal counties of Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, and Sagadahoc; and the towns of Brunswick and Harpswell in Cumberland County. Some of the towns are:
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mission to "create strong libraries and museums that connect people with information and ideas." In fiscal year 2015, IMLS had a budget of $228 million. It is a sub-agency of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Robert Sidney Martin, Ph.D. is an American librarian, archivist, administrator, and educator. He is Professor Emeritus, School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University, where he was the Lillian M. Bradshaw Endowed Chair until his retirement in 2008.
Damariscotta Baptist Church is a historic church at 4 Bristol Road in Damariscotta, Maine. Built in 1843-47 and restyled in 1891, it is a well-preserved example of Greek Revival and Colonial Revival architecture. The building also played a role in the formation of the town, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
St. Patrick's Catholic Church is a historic church at 380 Academy Hill Road in Newcastle, Maine. Built in 1807, it is the oldest surviving Roman Catholic church building in New England, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It remains in use as a community within the Parish of All Saints in the Diocese of Portland.
The Gov. Edward Kavanagh House is a historic house on Maine State Route 215 in the Damariscotta Mills area of Newcastle, Maine. Built in 1803, it is a fine example of Federal period residential architecture, and is historically notable for its association with one of Maine's early Irish Catholic immigrants, James Kavanagh. The house was later home to his son, Maine Governor Edward Kavanagh. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1974.
The Main Street Historic District encompasses the historic commercial center of Damariscotta, Maine. Although the community was settled in the 18th century, most of its downtown area dates to the second half of the 19th century due to an 1845 fire. Lining Main Street east of the Damariscotta River, the downtown has a well-preserved collection of commercial, residential, and civic structures from the period. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and enlarged in 2001.
Damariscotta is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the main village of the town of Damariscotta in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,142 at the 2010 census, out of 2,218 in the entire town. In the 2000 census, the village was part of the Damariscotta-Newcastle CDP.
Newcastle is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the main village of the town of Newcastle in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 667 at the 2010 census, out of 1,752 in the entire town. In the 2000 census, the village was part of the Damariscotta-Newcastle CDP.
The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is an award given annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to American libraries and museums with outstanding service to their communities. The IMLS refers to the medal as "the nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community." The award is typically presented by the First Lady of the United States.
The Damariscotta Shell Midden Historic District encompasses a significant collection of shell middens along the Damariscotta River in Lincoln County, Maine. It includes eleven middens in all, including the well-known Whaleback Shell Midden and the Glidden Midden, which is the largest shell midden in the northeastern United States. The area has the largest concentration of such midden sites under conservation protection in the eastern United States. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Hiram Chapman was an American politician from Maine. Chapman, a Democrat from Damariscotta, Maine, was elected to eight single year terms in the Maine Legislature, including four in the Maine House of Representatives and four in the Maine Senate. Chapman was Senate President in 1857.
The Stephen Coffin House is a historic house at 170 Main Street in downtown Damariscotta, Maine. Built in the first decade of the 19th century, it is a fine local example of Federal style architecture, and is further distinctive for its ell, which is an early surviving example of an attached shop. The house served for many years as home to the Skidompha Public Library, and is now in commercial use. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Laura A. Fortman is an American government employee, non-profit executive, and women's rights activist. Since 2013 she has served as deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the United States Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. Previously she was commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, and executive director of the Frances Perkins Center, the Maine Women's Lobby, and the Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center of Augusta. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2007.
State Route 215 (SR 215) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maine. It runs for about 17 miles (27 km) between Newcastle at U.S. Route 1 Business and Jefferson at SR 32, entirely in Lincoln County.
Rufus Crosby Kemper III is the current director of the U.S. National Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Previously director of the Kansas City Public Library from 2005 until 2020, Kemper's other experience includes CEO/Chairman of UMB Financial Corporation.
