About Us

THE LIBRARY

The Jay-Niles Memorial Library was a gift deeded to the Town of Jay on February 21st, 1918. The Niles children donated the library in honor of their parents Varanas and Mehitable Harris Niles. The Niles brothers gave the funds for the library to be built, but the dream of a town library was their sister’s, Eliza. When the Niles family donated the library to the town of Jay they simply said that they “hoped it would do folks some good.” The library is a large, elegant structure of brick with granite trimmings. The contractors that built the library were L.E. Bradstreet and Sons of Hallowell, Maine.

Groundbreaking for the library occurred in 1916. The building was completed in 1917, but did not open until 1918 when all the supplies and equipment had arrived. The library quickly became a nucleus of the community.

MEMORIAL HALL

The library has a well-designed meeting hall upstairs, complete with hardwood floors and a stage. Over the years, several activities have taken place in the hall. Memorial Hall was intended to be a community gathering place. The hall was created in memory of the men in Jay who served in the Civil War. There are two plaques, one on each side of the stage, commemorating the Civil War Veterans.

The following are some examples of activities that have been held in Memorial Hall: Chautauquas* , Cantatas*, Memorial Day exercises, Community Christmas celebrations, meetings of the Jay Literary Club and Past-time Club, Teachers’ Club meetings, lectures, tree-lighting ceremonies, entertainers, Summer Reading Program events, socials, and plays.

*Chautauquas were local assemblies that flourished in the late 19th and 20th centuries that provided popular education combined with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts, and plays.

*A cantata is a composition for one or more voices usually composing solos, duets, recitatives, and choruses and sung to instrumental accompaniment.

Picture from Inside of Memorial-Hall-at-Jay-Niles-Library-Maine
Picture of Inside_JayNilesLibrary

Then & Now

When it was first built, the library housed about a thousand books; it now houses a collection of around 30,000 items including books, magazines, cds, videos, DVDs, audiobooks, pamphlets, and vertical files as well as 6 computers for internet access.

The estimated cost of constructing the original library structure was $5000. The cost for the addition in 1995 was roughly $500,000. When the addition was complete, the new sections brought more room for the growing collection, 2 additional bathrooms, a magazine closet, a boardroom/conference room, and greater accessibility for persons with disabilities. The addition was built by Diaz Corporation of Jay and designed by Bunker and Savage Architects of Augusta.

Get Involved

If you love your library and want to get more involved, consider volunteering at the library, serving on the library board of trustees,  or joining the Jay-Niles Memorial Library Friends group.  The Jay-Niles Memorial Library Friends hold fundraisers (such as- Book Sales and Family Fun Days) to earn money for children’s programs (for instance: Summer Reading Programs).  For more information on how you can get involved, send an email to the library director at thoke@jaynileslibrary.com.

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Jay-Niles Memorial Library Mission Statement

It is the mission of Jay-Niles Memorial Library to provide and support all possible plans and materials that will lead to maximum library service for the greatest number of persons seeking information, meeting their recreational, educational, and professional needs. The Jay-Niles Memorial Library serves as a learning and educational center for all residents of its community.

JNL TECHNOLOGY MISSION STATEMENT

The Jay-Niles Memorial Library Board of Trustees and staff recognize the impact of technology, specifically electronic communication and information upon the lives of the citizens of the town of Jay. To encourage and support educational, informational, and recreational interests for members of all ages in our community, the Library strives to provide access to, provide instruction in the use of, identify, retrieve and organize technology in its various formats.

MISSION STATEMENT FOR CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT SERVICES

The Jay-Niles Memorial Library Children’s and Young Adult Services exist to serve the needs of those children seeking various services evolving around reading. It is our goal to influence society’s future by helping today’s children develop a life long love of reading, and the skills to find the answers in their quest for information.

Contact Us

P.O. Box 59
Jay, ME 04239
(207) 645-4062
info@jaynileslibrary.com

Library Hours

Monday and Tuesday: 1PM – 7PM
Wednesday and Thursday: 12PM – 6PM
Friday: 9AM - 2PM

Saturday: 9am-noon.