The Dorcas Library was started informally by the Dorcas Society of Prospect Harbor in 1932. They constructed the cottage which houses the library today.
Perhaps you are curious about the name Dorcas? Dorcas was a woman mentioned by name in the Bible, from the book of Acts. Dorcas was “one who does good by helping others.”
In 1932, the library had two rooms, one where the members of the Dorcas Society did their quilting and the other where the library was located. The library was started when the members decided to donate their own books and let people in the community come borrow them. This happened only once each week, on Tuesdays, when the Dorcas ladies worked on their quilts.
The library started by the Dorcas Society was first called the Prospect Harbor Library. It loaned only books. All the books were donated because there were not enough funds to buy books for many years. For this reason, the library’s collection wasn’t very large. It ran this way for a number of years.
In 1972, a group of townswomen, under the leadership of Mrs. Gladys Sewall, decided to revitalize the library. They worked hard, seeking donations of new books and money to help run the library in a more orderly fashion. With the help of many volunteers, some of whom were professional librarians, the collection started opening for business two days each week. It became more popular, with more people taking an interest in seeing a larger library in the community.
Mrs. Louise Paine added a children’s room in 1956. In 1978, Mrs. Mary H. Chase donated money for the addition of a large, new Harbor View room to be added to the back of the building, expanding the facility dramatically. In 1980, Mrs. Chase also started an annual fundraising appeal, called the “Friends Campaign,” which we continue to do each fall.
Membership of the Dorcas Society decreased until there were only three remaining members, who because of advanced age were no longer active. Library members often asked the society to use the remaining room in the building for more space for books, and in 1984 a meeting was called for the purpose of deciding the matter. Members of both groups agreed that the organizations would merge to become the Dorcas Library. This assured the Dorcas Society that their name and building would be remembered in the future, and ensured that the Dorcas Society’s “good works” would continue.
The Dorcas Library Association officially incorporated as a non-profit [501c3] organization in 1984. The Dorcas Library Association has an all-volunteer Board of Trustees. Library board members served as officers and library directors of the organization until 2015, when the first paid library director was hired. In 2018, the library hired an additional librarian.
Currently, we are raising funds to provide stable revenues so that we can increase our open hours, our services, and our collections.