Southern Maine Library District Services

As the Area Reference and Resource Center (ARRC) for the Southern Maine Library District, Portland Public Library offers a variety of services to public, school and special libraries throughout Cumberland and York Counties, and in certain towns in Oxford County (Brownfield, Denmark, Fryeburg, Hiram, Lovell, and South Hiram).

Interlibrary Loan: PPL lends its materials to other libraries throughout the district. If we do not own a requested title in our own collection, we search for it in WorldCat, connecting our members to more than 25,000 libraries worldwide. Make an ILL request online.

Free Borrowers’ Cards: Any resident of an SMLD town may apply for a free Portland Public Library card at any PPL branch.

PALS (PArtner Libraries): Our SMLD partner libraries may issue PPL cards to their own residents, enabling community members to use PPL’s online services like eBook downloads and genealogy research without visiting a PPL branch. Find out how your library can participate in the PALS program.

Backup Reference: When local resources are not enough, SMLD libraries may contact our Reference Desk for additional help. Member libraries may also make subject requests online.