Millinocket's public library will have a temporary home while its permanent building is renovated over the next several months.
Library Director Matt DeLaney says it is important that the library stay open during the renovation because it's a big part of a community that is still recovering from the closure of the Great Northern Paper Mill more than a decade ago.
“We've done oral history projects, we've done outdoor recreation, we've done digital literacy,” he says. “It's kind of a hub where community members can come together, rally around a cause, and try to connect people and organizations in the region to new opportunities. And I think if you don't have a library serving that role, it's a lot of missed opportunities.”
DeLaney says the Pelletier family, who happen to be the stars of the former- "American Loggers" reality TV show, offered the use of their former downtown restaurant space rent-free. The family closed the "Pelletier Loggers Family Restaurant and Bar" in 2015, and after operating for a while as a wine bar, it has been vacant. It's currently for sale.
“We wanted to continue library services but we didn't know where, and when we spoke to them about it they were really enthusiastic about it and happy to help us,” DeLaney says.
In addition to providing traditional library services and high-speed internet both at the library itself and at a few spots around town, it lends mountain bikes, skis and snowshoes, which Delaney says is part of transitioning the city's economy more toward tourism.
