Our Mission Statement

The Northeast Harbor Library, serving the towns of Mount Desert and the Cranberry Isles, affirms the following purposes and roles in serving its community:

To supply popular materials, meeting patron demand for books and periodicals.

To be an independent learning center for individuals of all ages. Support for this purpose will be provided by:

A general collection including works defined by collection development sources as classics and an adequate collection of standard reference works.

Audiovisual materials, including classic works, music, and local history.

A local history collection of materials related to the community and including the State of Maine and the New England region, with archival collections of local materials. Works to cover the range of human learning and experience in psychology, philosophy, religion, the arts, literature, social sciences, science, technology, national and world history, geography, current affairs and biography.

A children's library for preschool through teenage years integral to formal education resources and providing works defined as classics by standard authorities.

Through an affiliation agreement with Mount Desert Elementary School serves the school library function.

The library is committed to a substantial scholarship program for Mount Desert Island High School graduates residing in the town of Mount Desert and pursuing further education, and seeks through its children's services to support youth's aspirations.

The library's collection is expanded by providing interlibrary loan services for requested materials not available in the collection.

The library serves as a community meeting place for nonprofit community organizations having educational, cultural, historical and civic purposes.

The library provides information concerning community organizations, events and services, and hosts cultural, educational, historical and artistic programs and exhibits.

The library supports free access to materials and endorses the American Library Association's statements concerning the Right to Read and Intellectual Freedom. The Northeast Harbor Library Board of Trustee policies and hiring practices likewise uphold the ideals of free speech and human equality. The Northeast Harbor Library Board of Trustees hires personnel adequate and able to support the library programs and services.