Art & Culture
Portland Public Library is the City’s cultural center and is the most visited cultural institution in Maine offering print, film, music, and online collections to showcase the arts and creativity.
We offer materials in the arts and humanities, a wide variety of programming in partnership with local cultural organizations, and a place where creative organizations and individuals can share their work with others. We celebrate the broad diversity of our community’s creative expression, and are committed to building awareness and appreciation of the arts around us.
The Noonday Concert Series provides free access to live performances by Maine’s most talented musicians throughout the academic year. The series has always been an integral part of the Conservatory’s mission to provide equal access to high quality music and highlight its talented faculty and students.
Learn More »
To celebrate Poetry Month, join us at the Teen Library for a poetry reading in partnership with The Telling Room! Portland’s Poet Laureate Maya Williams will be joined for the reading by teen poets Calla James and Kaya Sylvester.
Learn More »
Join us for our monthly Button Club in the Teen Library to design and make your own wearable buttons! We meet on the third Thursday of each month.
Learn More »
Each year, Portland Public Library partners with the Camden Conference to bring a series of original programs to our community in addition to the conference itself, held in mid-coast Maine. The theme for the 2024 conference is India: Rising Ambitions, Challenges at Home.
Learn More »Extended! Visit the Children’s Library at the Downtown library November 28, 2022-February 28, 2023 for our annual exhibit from Art Quilts Maine!
Learn More »Join us for a book club-style Page to Stage with Portland Stage. Check out your copy of the script and join us two weeks before previews of each mainstage production. Scripts are available at the reference desk at the Downtown Library. Discussions will be held in person and we invite you to chat about the plays with Literary Manager Todd Brian Backus, his Directing and Dramaturgy Apprentices, and special guests.
Learn More »
biblio+ is a video streaming service that provides library members with unlimited access to an exciting, ad-free catalogue of groundbreaking film and captivating television. Available online & through mobile app, content can be streamed, mirrored, or cast to a compatible TV. All you need to get started is a library card!
Learn More »
The sixth annual Reading Challenge is here! 24 books in 12 months: will you accept the challenge?
Learn More »
Museum Passes Available
Portland Public Library offers free passes to several local Museums and cultural sites including Portland Museum of Art, Portland Observatory, Southworth Planetarium, and the Maine State Museum. To request a pass for a specific date, with your Library card, call or visit the Lending Desk at any of our locations.
Up Next at the Library:
Spotlight Lecture: Heidi Julavits & Mary Pols at Oxbow Brewing