Jesup Memorial Library

08/27/2026

TODAY! (That's Thursday, August 27th.) Join the MDI Housing Solutions Initiative for a presentation by Susanne Paul of The Musson Group, happening at 5:30pm in our Community Room.

Available and attainable housing is a persistent challenge on Mount Desert Island. How much do we need? Where should it go? Learn more about the MDI & Acadia Region Housing Analysis and Housing Opportunities Map, and possible strategies for using these tools to create new housing opportunities in the MDI Region.

Susanne Paul is a land use planning consultant at The Musson Group in Southwest Harbor working with towns throughout Maine on issues related to land use policy, housing, tourism, and economic development. Susanne is both a planner, data analyst, and geographer and thrives on collaborative process thinking to find creative solutions to complex and multidisciplinary problems. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College and Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. Susanne currently serves as Co-Chair of the Maine Association of Planners Legislative Policy Committee (MAP LPC) and is a board member at the Mount Desert Island YMCA.

08/26/2026

The Jesup Library is launching the Next Chapter Book Club!

At the Next Chapter Book Club (NCBC), adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities read and learn, make friends, and enjoy a fun community gathering place. Anyone can participate, no matter their reading level or ability. Caregivers and communication partners are also welcome to attend.

To start the Jesup's chapter of the book club, we are looking for 4 to 8 book club members who are able to meet weekly at the library. If you are interested, please join us on Wednesday, September 9th at 5:30pm for an initial Meet n’ Greet. Get to know the group facilitators and other book club members, see the space where the book club will be held, and tell us about your favorite books!

Registration is encouraged at www.jesuplibrary.org/events/ncbc

If you are interested in joining the NCBC but are unable to attend, please contact Eloise at [email protected], by calling 207-288-4245 or by inquiring at the circulation desk.

08/25/2026

Story and Play is cancelled today (Tuesday, August 25th), but please feel free to stop by to play and read!

Send a message to learn more

08/24/2026

On Thursday, September 3rd at 5:30pm, don't miss THE GULF OF LIONS, presented by Caitlin Shetterly in conversation with Ann Packer. We can't wait to host this brilliant pair!

Copies of THE GULF OF LIONS as well as Ann's latest novel, SOME BRIGHT NOWHERE, will be available for sale, courtesy of Sherman's Maine Coast Bookshop. Registration is encouraged at www.jesuplibrary.org/events

Reconciling with her husband after a betrayal and recovering from a yearlong battle with breast cancer, Alice longs for an escape from the trials of everyday life. When the opportunity arises for a once-in-a-lifetime camping trip across France, she packs up her daughters, hoping it’s the new start she so desperately needs.

Alice, teenage Sophie, and young Iris begin their odyssey in the French Alps, entering a foreign world they did not know existed: beautiful people, luscious food, and sensual temptations. It’s a freeing experience—exploring the countryside, sleeping beneath the stars, reveling in the sights and scents of nature. For the first time since her diagnosis, Alice starts to feel alive, less afraid of dying, and less angry about her husband's affair.

But as the family continues south, traveling through Provence, where they camp on the Gulf of Lions, an area of the Mediterranean known for wild, roaring winds and purple fields of lavender, they start to unravel the yarn that binds them together. By the time they head to the charred Pyrenees, and then back across France to stay in a castle that sits on the confluence of two rivers, Alice worries that the trip might have been a disastrous and reckless mistake.

A beautiful meditation on womanhood, personhood, exploration, survival and sexual awakenings, The Gulf of Lions is a breathtaking and emotionally resonant story that plumbs the eternal question: What, in the end, will keep a family from falling apart?

Photo credit: Daniel E. Davis

08/21/2026

Available and attainable housing is a persistent challenge on Mount Desert Island. How much do we need? Where should it go? On Thursday, August 27th at 5:30pm come to the Jesup Library to learn more about the MDI & Acadia Region Housing Analysis and Housing Opportunities Map, and possible strategies for using these tools to create new housing opportunities in the MDI Region.

Susanne Paul is a land use planning consultant at The Musson Group in Southwest Harbor working with towns throughout Maine on issues related to land use policy, housing, tourism, and economic development. Susanne is both a planner, data analyst, and geographer and thrives on collaborative process thinking to find creative solutions to complex and multidisciplinary problems. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College and Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. Susanne currently serves as Co-Chair of the Maine Association of Planners Legislative Policy Committee (MAP LPC) and is a board member at the Mount Desert Island YMCA.

08/19/2026

We've had a busy summer here at the Jesup! We couldn't host our Summer Reading Program without our community partners. Thank you so much to Bar Harbor Bank & Trust , First National Bank , and for your support. Thank you to our local businesses who donate raffle prizes for our Summer Reading BINGO. You help keep our young readers motivated all summer long! Thanks to , Fabricate, , , Reel Pizza Cinerama, , Sherman's Maine Coast Bookshop, Spruce & Gussy, and !

08/14/2026

It's almost Booksale time! Look at all of these genres and Specials. 🤩 We'll be open on Saturday from 10am - 7:30pm, on Sunday from 12pm - 4pm, and on Monday from 10am - 4pm. Think about lining your shelves with regal volumes... getting a jumpstart on holiday shopping... or discovering your next great read, right here at the Booksale!

08/11/2026

Story and Play is cancelled today (Tuesday, August 11), but please feel free to stop by to play and read!

08/08/2026

Here's a look at what we did at the Jesup today at our Exploring Engineering program! Thanks for everyone who attended :)

We hope you'll join us next Saturday (August 15) for Book Art at 10:30. Remember to stop by the library's book sale while you're here!

08/08/2026

Next week is full of excitement at the Jesup! On Wednesday 8/12 at 5:30pm, we'll host pianist Dan Kennedy for 'A Picnic with the Piano' of original compositions. Then, on Thursday 8/13 at 5:30pm, award-winning writer Ernest Thompson will discuss his latest thriller, OUT CLAUSE, in conversation with celebrated author Caroline Alexander. We hope to see you there!