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West Buxton Public Library
Established 1925
The West Buxton Public Library traces its beginnings back to 1925 when it was organized in the West
Buxton Baptist Church on the hill on River Road by the dam. The Masonic Building, also on River Road
in West Buxton, was its second home until 1953 when service to the community went dormant. The
library emerged from its five-year dormancy in 1958 under the leadership of Edward M. Elwell. Its third
and current home is the former District #12 Schoolhouse (circa 1853) keeping its location in the West
Buxton Village area and still on the Saco River at #34. The resurrection of the library resulted from the
perception that such a facility was needed by the residents of the village area on both sides of the Saco
River: Buxton and Hollis. The library is visited by citizens from Buxton, Hollis, Standish, and Limington.
The library’s operating budget is funded by the appropriations of the Town of Buxton and supplemented
with book and bake sales, memorial gifts and many monetary donations and collections.
The library is staffed by dedicated volunteers who are knowledgeable and will aid the patrons with their
needs. The library also offers through the Portland Public Library the interlibrary loan system. Any
resource that cannot be provided by this library may be obtained through the interlibrary loan system.
In 2015 many wonderful events were held at the library. In July, a free introduction to fly fishing
was held by Registered Maine Guide Richard deCosta and by request will be returning next year. In
August, the Library hosted a live demonstration of a 3-D printer as well as the Tech Petting Zoo. Jared
Leadbetter, from the Maine Sate Library was on hand to share his knowledge and answer questions.
In September, retired Game Warden John Ford, Sr., author of “Suddenly, The Cider Didn’t Taste So
Good,” “This Cider Still Tastes Funny!,” and “Deer Diaries” along with retired State Trooper Mark
Nickerson author of “Blue Lights in the Night” shared their law enforcement stories. The presentation
was thoroughly enjoyed by a wonderful group of community members. In December, Maine author
Derek Volk gave a presentation of his book, “Chasing the Rabbit: A Dad’s Life Raising a Son on the
Spectrum,” which was very well attended.
We started Story Time, held the first Thursday of every month, a LEGO Club and a Minecraft Club. The
library’s plan is to start a Home Delivery Program to lend library materials to citizens in our community
who are unable to visit the library due to long or short-term illness, immobility or age. We recently had
a large donation of magazine subscriptions and currently offer 12 magazines to our patrons. We are
looking to the future to further support our community not only with books, audio-videos and materials,
but also with programs and events. Our question to our patrons, “What do you want to see at your
library?” Our goal is to serve our community to the fullest.
A huge thank you to former director Amy Jajliardo and her family for her work, time and effort at the
library. Amy moved north with her family in August. With the continued help of our volunteers, board
members, community members and our town, we are excited to move forward serving our community
to the best of our ability.
Thank you for your continued support of this wonderful library.
Cathy Sargent
Library Director