Vote, Libby, NYT, #freedomtoread, Art
Vote YES to support SPL, new digital resources, and lots of happenings!
Make Your Vote Count, Support SPL!
Stonington Public Library strives to serve the community as a cultural and educational center, and we offer a diverse array of resources, services, and programs to meet the equally diverse needs of our island. Read the full newsletter to check out all that’s happening in recent weeks: new resources, book discussions, pre-K programs, a 2025 reading challenge. And that’s not all!
Whether it’s weekly visits to SPL or remote access to digital collections, we want to empower you to achieve your goals. The focus of our mission is right there in our name: the public. And it’s public support that enables us to do all we do and inspires us to innovate. Donations from individuals and businesses and SPL fundraisers account for approximately 75% of our annual budget. We request the other 25% in an annual appeal to the residents of Stonington.
In the past, residents have approved our request at the town meeting. This year residents can vote on third party requests via absentee ballot—available now—or in person on Monday, March 3, 8am-12pm, on the second floor of Town Hall. Your vote counts, and makes a big difference to SPL, our patrons, and our community. A YES vote to help fund SPL is a vote to support a vibrant community space that promotes learning and fosters imagination across all ages.
By coming together as a community, we all contribute to that magical moment when a kid walks through SPL’s front door excited to be back or when SPL matches a patron with a life-changing resource. We are deeply grateful to be so warmly embraced by our community. Please show your support and turn out to vote in support of SPL—it matters to so many here on the island.
Digital Resources @ SPL
Hancock County Download Library
SPL joined the Hancock County Download Library, a collaborative digital collection of 11 county libraries with over 8,000 e-books, audiobooks, and magazines. SPL patrons can access HCDL online or through the Libby app available on iOS, Android, and Amazon devices. SPL patrons can log on with use their SPL card number and PIN. Reach out for support on how to get started or with any questions.
New York Times All Access
SPL further expanded our digital resources collection in 2025 with a cooperative New York Times All Access subscription with 10 partnering county libraries. NYT News is always available on SPL Wi-Fi, and SPL patrons can access the News offsite as well as Games, Cooking, Wirecutter, and The Athletic anywhere by visiting our resources page. Patrons will be required to setup a NYT account. We’re here to help with any questions about how to use NYT All Access.
Kanopy
Kanopy, a streaming video service with movies and TV series, has been available to SPL patrons for three years now. It expanded our video collection from several hundred to 30,000+ overnight, and we have heard from our patrons again and again how much they appreciate free access to indie movies, documentaries, BBC series, and more. This year’s Kanopy subscription is a generous gift from Bob and Missy Mial to the island community.
Not yet signed up for Kanopy through SPL? Start here today.
Reading Challenge 2025
SPL believes your freedom to read is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. You know best what your interests are and why you want to read. SPL is here to support you in finding the resources that you want—no matter for education, professional development, or entertainment. Our doors are open to all, and we want to empower all who step inside to connect with resources that matter to them.
Sadly, book bans are real. PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans “found 10,046 instances of individual books banned, affecting 4,231 unique titles”1 in the 2023-2024 school year. The American Library Association tracked 414 attempts to ban 1,128 titles in the first eight months of 2024.2 Some book bans grab headlines and bring a wider audience to a select number of titles. Many more fail to garner public attention, and now the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is dismissing complaints of censorship and refusing to provide any future guidance.34
SPL challenges you to #readbannedbooks and wholeheartedly supports your #freedomtoread. Participate in our book challenge one of four ways any time you read a book in 2025: 1. @stoningtonpubliclibrary with #readbannedbooks or #freedomtoread, 2. send a postcard to SPL, PO Box 441, Stonington, ME 04681, 3. email (photos always appreciated but not required), or 4. tell us in person at SPL during library hours. The challenge is open to all friends of SPL—patrons, donors, volunteers, followers, and secret admirers. Every month we will give away free SPL swag to randomly selected friends: one adult (18+) and one youth (under 18). Prizes can be picked up at SPL or sent to winners for the cost of shipping.
Community Conversations
What If We Get It Right? by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Wednesdays, February 19 and March 5, 6-7:30pm
Our conversation series on Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s book meets two more times. Co-hosted by SPL and Linda Nelson, Stonington economic and community development director. Participants can join in person at SPL or online via Zoom. Newcomers are welcome. RSVP by email.
Come hear Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson at Talk of the Towns on Friday, March 7, 6pm at the Stonington Opera House. More information here.
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
TBD
For those who find inspiration in learning communities, we are proposing Robin Wall Kimmerer’s new book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, as a follow up to What If We Get It Right? New readers are welcome and encouraged to join a conversation about gratitude, reciprocity, and community. Kimmerer envisions an alternative to an economy based on scarcity and competition: “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”
Conversation dates and times TBD. Participants can purchase a copy of the book at a discount through SPL. (No one will be turned away for lack of funds.) RSVP by email to receive updates and let SPL know if you would like to buy the book.
Island Artist Group Exhibit
Reception on Saturday, February 22, 2-4pm
On view through Saturday, April 26
The 4th annual Island Artist Group Exhibit is on display at SPL through Saturday, April 26. The reception is this Saturday, February 22, 2-4pm with light bites & beverages and live music performed by Rugosa Rose. Join us to celebrate the wealth of artistic talent in our community.
Rosswords: Crosswords with Chris
Sundays, February 23, March 9, and March 23, 11am-12pm
Originally scheduled to start on the 9th, snowstorms two Sundays in a row have pushed the workshop’s start to Sunday, February 23. Become a savvier crossword solver with puzzle fanatic Christopher Ross. All welcome. RSVP by email.
Pre-K Programs
Want to know all the latest programs for children and families? Email SPL to join a new mailing list to keep you in the loop.
Music with Abby
Fourth Tuesday of every month, 11-11:30am
Upcoming dates: February 25, March 25, April 22, May 27
Let’s get musical! Explore rhythm and music with island singer, songwriter, and musician Abby Litman on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 11am. Kids won’t be hushed for making noise in the library. In fact, they’ll be encouraged.
Read with Tenny
Second Tuesday of every month, 11-11:30am
Upcoming dates: March 11, April 8, May 13
Visit and read with certified therapy dog, Tenny, on the second Tuesday of every month at 11am. His person, Jessica Shively, will bring him by SPL to meet some of our youngest patrons and their families. It’s a chance for kids to learn new ways of interacting with a dog and with each other in a (loosely) structured activity. Tenny is a 3 year old, 105 pound Great Pyrenees mix who grew up on the Maine coast. He loves love and sharing it with other people. His human, Jessica, moved to Stonington from Castine in the summer and spends her days beachcombing with Tenny and exploring new hiking trails.
Reader’s Choice Book Club
All readers welcome. Book club discussions are offered both in person at SPL and via Zoom. RSVP by email.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Monday, February 24, 6:30-7:30pm
Kendra Chubbuck, Isle au Haut resident and business owner, chose our February book. Kendra will lead the discussion of Lisa See’s novel about an all-female diving collective on the Korean island of Jeju, following their lives through decades of change and upheaval.
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute by Grace Paley
Monday, March 24, 6:30-7:30pm
Anneli Sundqvist, Deer Isle resident, chose our book club’s March title, and she will lead our discussion of Grace Paley’s short story collection originally published in 1974. Paley wrote three collections in her lifetime, and The Collected Stories, published in 1994, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Monday, April 28, 6:30-7:30pm
Pat Dobbs, Stonington resident, chose a graphic novel for our April book. Pat will lead our discussion of Gene Yang’s now classic comic that weaves together three seemingly separate story lines about race, identity, and fitting in.
Story Time with Stonington Fire Department
Saturday, March 8, 10-11am
SPL, 64 Main Street
SPL story time returns to Stonington Fire Department! The fire department crew will come to the library to read aloud to kids and their families, and following the story, they’ll invite everyone over to the fire department for a guided tour and look behind the scenes. All welcome, no registration required.
Edible Island: Food • Culture • Community
Irish Soda Bread with Lorraine Coakley
Saturday, March 8, 1-4pm
Healthy Island Project Kitchen, 91 S Burnt Cove Rd, Stonington
Edible Island is back with another workshop, and just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Learn how to make Irish soda bread with Lorraine Coakley. RSVP by email.
“PEN America Index of School Book Bans – 2023-2024”, PEN America, 2024
https://pen.org/book-bans/pen-america-index-of-school-book-bans-2023-2024/ (Accessed February 18, 2025)
“American Library Association reveals preliminary data on 2024 book challenges”, American Library Association, September 23, 2024
https://www.ala.org/news/2024/09/american-library-association-reveals-preliminary-data-2024-book-challenges (Accessed February 18, 2025)
“ALA to U. S. Department of Education: Book bans are real”, American Library Association, January 26, 2025
https://www.ala.org/news/2025/01/book-bans-are-real (Accessed February 18, 2025)
“U.S. Department of Education ends Biden’s book ban hoax”, U.S. Department of Education Office of Communications and Outreach, January 24, 2025
https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-ends-bidens-book-ban-hoax (Accessed February 18, 2025)