Portland Public Library
🏢 Minerva / MaineCat · Portland, Maine
Portland Public Library
Maine's largest public library, the Portland Public Library anchors downtown Portland at 5 Monument Square, pairing a 238,000-item collection with the Portland Room local-history archive, free museum passes and a dedicated Teen Library.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–5pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–6pm |
| Thursday | 10am–6pm |
| Friday | 10am–5pm |
| Saturday | 10am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 5 Monument Square, Portland, ME 04101
Phone: (207) 871-1700
Website: portlandlibrary.org
Plus Code: 87MFMP5R+65 (Portland, ME)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Portland Public Library
The Portland Public Library is the largest public library in Maine, serving the city of Portland from its main building at 5 Monument Square in the heart of downtown. Its roots reach back to the Portland Institute and Public Library, founded in 1867 after the Great Fire, which became the free Portland Public Library in 1889; for ninety years the library occupied the Baxter Building on Congress Street before moving to its current Monument Square home in 1979, a building renovated by Scott Simons Architects in 2010. Alongside the downtown main library, the system runs three neighborhood branches — Deering (Burbank), Peaks Island and Riverton. As a member of the Minerva shared catalog and the statewide MaineCat network, a Portland card reaches millions of items across more than a hundred Maine libraries, and the library's Portland Room preserves the printed books, maps, photographs, directories and manuscripts that document the city's history.
⭐ What makes this library special
- The Portland Room — a dedicated local-history and special-collections department with maps, photographs, city directories, manuscripts and Portland periodicals
- Free passes to the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, the Maine Wildlife Park and other cultural sites
- A dedicated Teen Library with books, computers, video games and meeting space for ages 12–19
- Children's Library with story times, early-literacy programs and a Family Remote Workspace (stroller parking, family restrooms and a lactation pod)
- Member of the Minerva shared catalog and the statewide MaineCat network — one card borrows across 100+ Maine libraries
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
A Portland Public Library card unlocks Maine's shared digital collections from home:
📚 Services
- The Portland Room local-history & special-collections research center
- Free museum & attraction passes (Portland Museum of Art, Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Maine Wildlife Park)
- Dedicated Teen Library with gaming, computers & meeting space
- Children's Library with a Family Remote Workspace, lactation pod & family restrooms
- Meeting rooms & study spaces for community use
- Interlibrary loan across the Minerva & MaineCat statewide networks
- Public computers, printing & free Wi-Fi
🎸 Programs
- Children's story times & early-literacy programs
- Summer reading challenges
- Teen creative workshops & college prep
- Author talks & community events
- Local-history programs through the Portland Room
📍 Nearby Libraries in Greater Portland
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Portland Room, and can anyone use it?
The Portland Room is the library's local-history and special-collections department at the downtown Monument Square building. It holds printed books, archival documents, manuscripts, local periodicals, maps, photographs and city directories that document Portland's history. It is open to the public during its own posted research hours (generally shorter than the main library's hours), and staff can help with genealogy and local-history questions.
Does the Portland Public Library have branches besides the downtown building?
Yes. In addition to the main library at 5 Monument Square, the system runs three neighborhood branches — Deering (Burbank), Peaks Island and Riverton. Each keeps its own reduced schedule, so check the branch hours before visiting; the Peaks Island branch serves the island community by ferry from downtown Portland.
Can I borrow museum passes from the Portland Public Library?
Yes. Cardholders can reserve free or discounted passes to Maine cultural sites including the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and the Maine Wildlife Park. Passes are limited and popular, so reserve ahead through the library's museum-pass system.
Is the Portland Public Library open on Sundays?
No. The downtown main library is closed on Sundays. It is open Monday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Branch hours differ and are shorter, so confirm before visiting a neighborhood branch.
🎨 This library lends museum passes. See how library museum passes work and find other libraries that lend passes museum passes by state.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
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