New Library Hours Announced

May 25, 2010 -- Penobscot Marine Museum has announced new hours for its research library. The schedule is: Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Library volunteer Jon Johansen specializes in maritime research.

Volunteer librarian Don Garrold focuses on genealogy records and mapping.

The Stephen Phillips Memorial Library is a research library whose holdings include ships' logs, business and church records, and genealogical information for the Penobscot region, as well as a large collection of boating- and maritime-related books. Materials do not circulate. It is one of only two libraries in Waldo County whose holdings are listed in the online SOLAR catalog.

Volunteers form the core of the library's staff and enable the Penobscot Marine Museum to open it to interested researchers for regular hours every week. On Thursdays, the library is supervised by Don Garrold, a land surveyor and mapper with strong interest in genealogy. Garrold works with the Town of Searsport on GIS mapping and cemetery records, and his research specialties include the people and places of the Penobscot region.

Jon Johansen, a specialist in maritime research, manages the library on Fridays. Johansen is the publisher of Maine Coastal News and director of the International Maritime Library, an organization creating the most comprehensive database ever compiled of ships built in America.

Visitors are urged to contact the museum before visiting the library to confirm openings. Call (207) 548-2529 or Email.