In 1993, residents of Liberty gathered at Camp Kieve in Nobleboro, Maine, to discuss the town’s future and to encourage community involvement. Many participants were interested in starting a library. On April 13, 1995, the Liberty Library Committee was formed. A town wide survey was conducted a few months later and over 200 residents favored the development of a library.
On July 27, 1995, the Liberty Library Association was formed. Officers were elected: President – Jane Liebler, Vice-President – Barb Rehmeyer, Secretary – Beulah Colby, and Treasurer – Betsey Davis. During the summer of 1995, the Association started a program at Walker School. Meanwhile, the Association searched for a permanent home for a library. Ivan O. Davis offered the town, rent-free for 5-years, the use of the 200-square-foot “old pay shack” for the Hunt Tannery Co., a firm that dominated the town’s economy from 1800 to 1915.
The Ivan O. Davis – Liberty Library had its grand opening in September 1996. Deanna Bonner-Ganter was hired as the Library Director but only stayed for a few months. Debbie Meservey was hired in May 1997, followed by Anne Sheble in September 1999, Barbara Worcester in August 2001, and Barb Rehmeyer in March 2018. In 1998, the town of Montville began contributing to the library so that Montville residents could receive the same benefits as Liberty residents.
The Liberty Library Association arranged with the town to renovate the town’s “old firehouse” and the library moved to their present location in April 2002. The new location is about ten times the size of the previous one, with a children’s room on the second-floor. The focal point of the library and what everyone wants to know is “who built the spiral staircase?” – York Spiral Staircase in Vassalboro, Maine.
In January 2020, the Liberty Library joined the MILS consortium: Maine InfoNet System for small Maine libraries. This enabled the library to more easily share resources with other Maine libraries through interlibrary loan.
For over 25 years, the Liberty Library has provided the residents of Liberty and Montville with social and cultural programs and a variety of ever-changing materials. The library’s name was simplified to Liberty Library in 2019. Our technologies are always being updated as time and money permits. Along with the part-time Director, the library operates with the help of many dedicated volunteers.