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Aerial view of the Penobscot Marine Museum complex

The Stephen Phillips Library is located on Church Street in Searsport, in the center of the complex of historic buildings which comprise the Penobscot marine museum campus.

Archived view of Church Street and museum

Since the founding of the Penobscot Marine Museum in 1936 in the coastal town of Searsport, the Stephen Phillips Library has served researchers in a wide variety of subjects related to Maritime History.

Stephen Phillips Memorial Library's reading room

The Reading Room at the Phillips Library provides ample space for study and research.

Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, Penobscot Marine Museum

Through specialized collections and research, the Stephen Phillips Memorial Library supports the Penobscot Marine Museum’s mission to preserve, interpret and celebrate the maritime culture of the Penobscot Bay region and beyond.

Located on the campus of the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, the Stephen Phillips Memorial Library serves as the museum’s research center, providing access to approximately 12,000 books, 1000 linear feet of manuscripts, assorted photographs, 3000 nautical charts, and maps. In addition to strong collections in maritime history, with an emphasis on mid-coast Maine, the library also houses collections in Maine history and genealogy. To check Phillips Library’s catalogued holdings, you may search the SOLAR Catalog.

The Research Collection

Phillips Library is open year round, Tuesday through Thursday from Noon until 4:00 P.M., or by appointment. The library is at 9 Church Street, Searsport. The library’s entrance is handicapped accessible. As a research library, our collections are non-circulating; however, we do provide a pleasant space for in-house reading and research. All researchers must sign in daily and fill out research registration forms once a year. Photocopying is done by the library staff at its discretion.

Fees

There is no charge for personal use of the library for research. For research done by library staff, there is a flat $25.00 charge for inquiries that take more than a few minutes to answer. Photocopying is done by the library staff at its discretion, with a charge of 25 cents per page.

Contact us by mail, telephone or email

Cathy Pollari, Research Librarian,
Stephen Phillips Memorial Library,
Penobscot Marine Museum,
P.O. Box 498, Searsport, ME 04974

Phone: 207-548-2529, ext. 213;
Email: researcher@penobscotmarinemuseum.org

The Photography Collection

In addition to print and manuscript collections, the library has an extensive photography collection of nearly 100,000 negatives and prints. It includes the archives of Johanna Colcord, Carol Thayer Berry, Charles Coombs, Ruth Montgomery. The Atlantic Fisherman and Everett “Red” Boutilier. The library’s most recent acquisition is the glass plate negative archive of the Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Co., which consists of 37,000 negatives of towns throughout New England and upstate New York. All of these collections are available for research, acquisition, publishing and exhibition.

For more information on the photography collections or to order CDs or fine art prints, contact:

Kevin Johnson, Photo Archivist, at 207-548-2529, ext 210
Email Kevin@penobscotmarinemuseum.org.
Visit photography website - www.glassplateimages.com

Learn more about Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, Penobscot Marine Museum