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Director Updates:
October 2026
The Library Lookout
Official Newsletter of the Skowhegan Free Public Library
Upcoming Events:
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is HERE!
We are so pleased to announce that Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is officially up and running in Somerset County! Families who live in Somerset County can now sign their children, ages 0–5, up to receive a FREE book mailed directly to their home every month!
There are no income requirements and no cost to families. The goal is simply to get more books into the hands of little ones. Having books at home and being read to from an early age helps children build vocabulary, language and early literacy skills—and, just as importantly, helps them learn that books and reading are fun!
A child enrolled from birth can receive up to 60 books before their fifth birthday, creating a little library all their own.
Have a child under five? Sign them up! Have a grandchild, niece, nephew, neighbor, or friend with a little one? Tell them about it! We want to get as many books as possible into the hands of Somerset County kids!
October means it is time for our 6th Annual Fall Book Drive!
This year, our goal is 200 new books for the library. That goal is a little lower than in years past because our friends over at the Strand Cinema are also collecting books right now. We don’t want to overwhelm our community with requests—or compete with another great local effort!
Our Fall Book Drive helps us add new titles, replace well-loved books, and fill gaps in our collection that our regular book budget just can’t cover. Every book purchased from our wish list goes directly onto our shelves for our community to enjoy.
Whether you purchase one book or ten, every book counts, and we are always incredibly grateful for the support our community gives us.
You can find our Fall Book Drive wishlist here:https://a.co/0dKUgTkf Let’s see if we can add 200 new books to our shelves this October!
We have A LOT happening at the library—and we know it can be hard to keep track of it all. Honestly, sometimes we have a hard time keeping track, and we’re the ones making the schedules!
The best ways to make sure you don’t miss anything are to follow us on Facebook, check our website regularly, or sign up for our monthly newsletter.
So follow us, bookmark the website, sign up for the newsletter, grab a calendar—or do all of the above! We have lots happening, and we don’t want you to miss out!
Recurring:
Every Wednesday- Storytime @ 10:30AM
Every Friday- Sit & Knit @ 1 - 3PM
10/1 - Nomal Slevin Author Talk @ 6PM
10/2 - Molly Donlan Author talk @ 6PM
10/7 - BooOOooks in the Basement @ 6:15PM
10/8 - Crow Party @ 3PM
10/13 - Die Well Workshop @ 1PM
10/14 - Free Vision Screenings w/ the Skowhegan Lions Club @ 10:30AM-12PM
10/15 - 13 Moons Book Club @ 6PM
10/20 - Pumpkin Decorating for Adults w/ Variety Drug @ 4PM
10/22 - Books & Brews at Joe’s Flat Iron Cafe @ 6:30PM
10/28 - Special Halloween Storytime @ 10:30AM
10/28 - Trick or Treating at the library @ 11AM
10/28- Guest Bartending at Unwined @ 4PM
10/29 - LEGO Club @ 3:30PM
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Closures:
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10/12- All day in observance of Indigenous People’s Day
10/28- Closing @ 3PM for guest bartending
Library Updates
Library Updates
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News from Emily Ecker, Youth Services Librarian
In September, we were fortunate to have Jeanine Deas join us for a storytime. The kiddos loved her interactive reading, her craft, and, of course, her duckie display. At the end of the month, LEGO Club attendees took on the I Spy Challenge, which sneakily helped us organize our pieces as they collected their assigned categories from the giant LEGO bin of chaos.
​ In October, Holland's Variety Drug will resume their monthly guest storytime reader spot beginning on the 7th. They will also generously be partnering with us on the 20th at 4:00pm for a children's pumpkin decorating program (registration required). We will have a Halloween-themed storytime on the 28th at 10:30am, followed by in-library trick-or-treating. Costumes HIGHLY encouraged! Lastly, LEGO Club will be on the 29th at 3:30pm.
In September, we also got a visit from the best listener Jett! Keep an eye out for future opportunities to get to read to this good boy! ​
News from Bree Bussell-Fitzgerald, Adult Services
As I'm sure many of you have noticed, InterLibrary Loans are taking longer and longer to be delivered to us. Some books are taking up to four weeks to reach us and I understand the frustration. I'd suggest ordering a book a bit ahead of time so you're not waiting up to a month for the next in a series!
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We've been partnering with Variety Drug doing some fun community events together and we have a few coming up in October! We're doing everything from pumpkin painting to a storytime event and even fabric garland so be sure to check the calendar and register since space is limited! John and the whole team over at Variety Drug have been wonderful so join us and let's have some fun!
News from Nikki Bulmer, Tech Services Librarian
In September I attended a Train the Trainer session with SEDC and Connected Nation. I learned some great stuff and as a result, I’ll be able to start hosting tech classes on site again! We’re still doing Wednesday one on one tech help appointments but sometimes working together in a classroom setting helps the learning process too, you don’t know what you don’t know! Let us know what you’d be interested in learning and stay tuned for announcements!
Summerween is over, and that means True Crime is back in circulation at BooOOooks in the Basement! For our 11/7 Book club meeting, we’ll be reading ‘The Last Book on the Left’, we hope you can join us!
Fundraising Updates
Our Fundraiser at Lakewood is something we look forward to every year, and it always shows how much our community shows up to support both us, and Lakewood Theater. All together, we were able to raise an incredible $4,799!!!
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Special thanks goes to our basket donors:
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The Bankery & Skowhegan Fleuriste
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Damon's Beverage - Skowhegan
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Crooked Face Creamery
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Lakewood Theater
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Joe's Flat Iron Café
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Friends of the Library Shop
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Our winners of the over $300.00 worth of prizes were:
Jason & Shannon Curtis of Skowhegan!!!!!
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Thank you to everyone who supported the library by donating, purchasing tickets to the show and raffle tickets, the Fundraising Committee, and Maureen Provencal for making this all possible! And of course a HUGE thank you to Lakewood for hosting this fundraiser yet again for us, we so appreciate you!
Our annual Fall Book Drive is coming up so stay tuned to our Facebook and website for this year’s goal and progress!
Staff Book Picks for October 2026
Angie-
Freyja
by Margrét Ann Thors
Nikki-
The Caretaker
by Marcus Kliewer
Emily-
Have you Ever Seen a Ghost?
by Daniel Kwan
Bree-
Stay Buried
by Jennifer McMahon
Our mission
At the Skowhegan Free Public Library, our mission is to foster a community where the freedom to read and access information is paramount. We are dedicated to providing a well-rounded and diverse collection of resources that cater to the educational, recreational, and cultural needs of all our patrons. Our library serves as a welcoming space for every community member, promoting inclusivity and accessibility. We are committed to sustainable practices, ensuring that our operations and services contribute positively to the environment and the well-being of future generations. Together, we empower minds, inspire lifelong learning, and build a brighter, more informed world.
The Library Lookout
9 Elm Street
Skowhegan, ME 04976
Library Staff
Director: Angie Herrick
Adult Circ: Breanna Bussell-Fitzgerald
Youth Services: Emily Ecker
Technology Librarian: Nikki Bulmer
Volunteer: Janet Mayhew
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President: Lynda Quinn
Devin MacMichael
Debra Sterling
Lynn Perry
Maureen Provencal
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​​Noella DesPres
Robert Washburn
Kristina Canon
Patricia Horine
Bloomfield Academy Trustees​