Bangor Public Library

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Bangor Public Library

Location	Bangor, Maine
Established	1883
Number of branches	1
Collection size	approx 500,000
Annual circulation	over 500,000
Members	30,000
Director	Barbara McDade
Employees	41
Website	www.bpl.lib.me.us

The Bangor Public Library in Bangor, Maine was founded in 1830 as the Bangor Mechanic Association's private library. In 1873, several other associations' libraries were combined to form the "Bangor Mechanic Association Public Library". In 1883, Samuel F. Hersey left the City of Bangor a $100,000 bequest, which they decided to use to form a public library, of which the Mechanic Association's 20,000 books formed the core collection.

In 1905, the small membership fee was abolished. By 1911, the collection had grown to 70,000 books, all but 29 of which were lost in the Great Fire of 1911. It reopened in May 1911 with those books and the 1300 which had been on loan. The current building opened in 1913, and was significantly renovated and expanded in 1997, thanks to a donation from Stephen and Tabitha King.

It shares the URSUS online cataloging system with the University of Maine System and other Maine libraries.