Brick fundraiser part of Brooklin library expansion
Construction on multi-million dollar project began in April
By Alyssa Thurlow Published: Aug. 17, 2026 at 1:26 PM EDT| Updated: Aug. 17, 2026 at 6:47 PM EDT WABI
BROOKLIN, Maine (WABI) - The Friend Memorial Public Library expansion is taking shape.
“The roof went up really quickly. They started pulling walls up in the last week of June,” said Catherine Nevin, library director.
Construction underway
Construction started in April 2026. The multi-million dollar project will expand the library and house the Anne and Maynard Bray Maritime Research Center. The library says it will be one of the nation’s most important private collections of materials and photographs related to wooden boat and ship design. The current space is cramped but full of history. “Everything from the circulation desk forward was 1912. About 25 years ago they did a big expansion and redid the back area, so what you see today behind the circulation desk was done in the late 1990s, early 2000s,” Nevin said. “Everything does double duty from bathroom which is where we keep all of our chairs. It’s the only sink so that’s where we wash our dishes to my office, which is where we have the mini fridge and the microwave – all of our story time stuff,” Nevin said.
Funding and features
The library has raised more than $3 million and is still counting. The money will fund improved accessibility, larger spaces for kids and teens, and quiet reading rooms. “We had a woman who came and took a bench to the back of the building and would sit and do her meetings where the trash is because it’s the quietest space on the property,” Nevin said. “Having a larger reading room in the expansion that will allow for space for people to read, work, and having that extended lecture space will be nice,” Nevin said. Just outside sits a reading garden dedicated to author E.B. White and his wife, Katharine. That too will get new life as part of the project.
New brick circle
The library is also installing a new brick circle outside, etched with names, quotes, and messages from the community. Bricks are on sale for $35 and can be purchased on the library’s website. The finished bricks will be placed in the new Circle of Friends Garden. “I really wanted to keep the cost low so people could buy them for anybody they know who has appreciated the library,” Nevin said.
The new wing of the library is set to open sometime next year.
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