Maine Town Relents, Maintains Library Support

Maine Town Relents, Maintains Library Support

The town of Woolwich, Maine, whose officials had considered eliminating more than $43,000 in fiscal support for the Patten Free Library in Bath because of the September 2007 firing of popular children’s librarian Nyree Thomas, has opted to continue its participation with the Patten Library after all.

Woolwich officials had considered expending up to $20 per resident to purchase library cards at the nearby library of the residents’ choice, but the townspeople rejected the plan by a vote of 113–77. They went on to approve the Patten contribution 114–59 at the May 7 town meeting, the Brunswick Times Record reported May 8.

Before the votes, area resident Linda Wood praised the library as “an invaluable public resource for every person in town, whether or not they check out books. It’s like any other public service; we all pay for our school whether we have children or not.”

Posted on May 9, 2008. Discuss.