Marilyn W Dean

One of the library's most devoted and loved patrons and a former employee, Marilyn Dean, passed away on February 28, 2008. She was born in Presque Isle and attended Presque Isle schools, Bates College, and Chamberlain School of Retailing. She was married to Perley M. Dean of Easton.

Marilyn was employed by SAD #42 Mars Hills, was a Children's Librarian at the Turner Memorial Library, and was a Health Sciences Librarian for 24 years at the Aroostook Medical Center.

At her request, contributions in her memory can be made to this library. To date, over $1,600 dollars have been donated to purchase books in her memory. Some books have also been purchased in memory of her husband Perley Dean.

The books are on display in the adult section of the library. Please stop in and see this loving tribute to this wonderful woman. There are many beautiful children's books, cookbooks, Maine books, mysteries, and many other titles that reflect Marilyn's interests.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

New York Times Bestseller

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by Susanna Clarke

I'll admit that when I see a book that is 782 pages long, I know I'll never have the time to finish it. So, when my colleague, Rick Asam, recommended this book to me he also told me that we had it on CD and he assured me that I would really enjoy it whether I read it or listened to it. Rick's picks are always great and when he suggests something, I know enough to read it, listen to it, or watch it. I took the easier route, and have the CDs (all 26 of them) at home and have been enjoying them just as Rick predicted.

The point of this is that we all have busy lives, we all need to make adjustments sometimes, and if you find yourself in the same situation, ask us to get the book on CD, get the book in large print if you need it, or even get the film version of a book for you. It is sometimes hard to make time for things you really enjoy, but it is so worthwhile. So, let us help you by making suggestions, recommendations, finding information, and adapting things to meet your needs, your schedule, your life. The library is constantly trying to improve the service we give to you and we always appreciate any comments and input. You know by now, that we will listen.

We are open seven days a week to make it easier for you to find the right time in your daily life to come visit the library. You can reach us online in a variety of ways (email, IM, Facebook, MySpace, Second Life) and for those who prefer we are always only a phone call away. The library is a great resource in this community that is available to everyone and if you aren't using your library you should take the time to see what has changed since your last visit.

Gardening

After the long winter, we are all more than ready to begin planning our summer gardens. Get a jump on the season by attending a presentation on Seedlings and Container Gardens.

Gardening Program April 15th at 4 pm

Starting Seeds and Container Gardening Presentation
by Lisa Fishman from the UMaine Cooperative Extension Service

Join us for this free program to learn more about starting your summer garden

Tuesday, April 15th at 4 pm in the library

Second Life

If you have already established a free account on Second Life (SL), created your avatar, and entered into this virtual world, we hope you have visited the Mark & Emily Turner Library in SL.

A Relay for Life Donation Station to support the American Cancer Society has just been put up in our SL library. Stop by and visit and make a donation.



Relay for Life History

If you have never heard of Second Life and wish to learn more, stop into the library and we'll arrange to give you an online tour.

We have recently received two new books on Second Life:

I, Avatar by Mark Stephen Meadows

The Making of Second Life by Wagner James Au

Ginn's Pavilion

Do you remember Ginn's Pavilion? I'm told it was a dance hall owned by Frank Ginn in this area that was very popular in the 30's, 40's, and 50's. There were lots of great bands, plenty of dancing and socializing, and a huge ball that hung from the ceiling that was just beautiful and created a wonderful atmosphere. Jim Carter is the grandson of the owner, Frank Ginn, and Jim is interested in talking with anyone who has information, memories to share, and photos from Ginn's Pavilion. Jim can be contacted by email at jcarter001@maine.rr.com

Local History

We answer lots of reference questions at this library on a wide variety of topics. Some of the most interesting questions are local history questions. We may be asked to locate photos of local spots or businesses long gone, help find the history of a house, search for an obituary, locate gravesites, search old census records, or review old maps to determine the growth of a section of the town over time.

We use a variety of resources to answer these questions such as Maine Memory Network, our Maine Collection and local history collection, microfilm of old newspapers such as the Star Herald, census data, atlases, Maine Registers, oral histories, scrapbooks, city directories, City of Presque Isle Annual Reports, and our Genealogy collection. We also talk to people who visit the library and see what they have to share on a given topic. We have wonderful local resources such as the Presque Isle Historical Society, records at City Hall, Special Collections at University of Maine at Presque Isle, our local historian Dick Graves, Voscar, and many other people who write local history in the Star Herald, Echoes Magazine, Crown of Maine Website, and several others who have published books and articles on local history.

We have many books that have been published by local authors and the recent book by John Llewellyn Hone, A Long Time Forgotten, about the Presque Isle Opera House and the history of Presque Isle is just one of the excellent books we can consult.

If you have a local history question, or any question, call us, write us, email us, fax us, IM us, stop in, visit our library in Second Life, reach us anyway that works best for you and we'll do the research and get your question answered. We are here to help. The very best part of all this is that we all learn something new along the way and contribute to preserving local history.

Turner Librarians

Over the past 100 years, the library has had many librarians who contributed to the success of this library. Lou Marston was the first librarian of the Presque Isle Free Library and held that position from 1908 to 1928. She is pictured at left among her students.

Lucinda Bigelow Marston was born in Smithfield on November 22, 1863 and was the daughter of George W. and Ruhamah Bigelow Marston. In 1870, the family moved to Aroostook County and lived on a farm in the eastern part of Presque Isle (next to the Easton town line). She attended school in Presque Isle and Farmington Normal, and later taught in the Presque Isle schools. When the Presque Isle Free Library was built, Miss Marston became its first librarian and continued until she was forced to resign due to ill health in August of 1928.

As the first librarian, Ms. Marston was instrumental in working with the board of trustees to establish and develop the library from the ground up. Her obituary states, "She was much beloved by her pupils, during and since her teaching days, and highly regarded by the public with whom she came in contact in her library work." Miss Marston was a member of the United Baptist Church of Presque Isle and of the Rebekahs of Easton. She died in 1931.