Services for Librarians
ARRC Services
As the Area Reference & Resource Center (ARRC) for Maine Region 1, PPL provides free library cards to all residents and offers a variety of services to public, academic, school, and special libraries within the district, funded by legislative and county appropriations. For more information about the ARRC system and PPL’s role in it, visit Maine State Library’s Maine Regional Library System or call the Region 1 Office at (207) 233-2193.
Backup Reference for Region 1 libraries is available by phone, email, fax, or in-person from PPL Reference librarians for assistance in answering patron queries after local resources have been exhausted. The staff includes generalists as well as subject specialists in government documents, serials, local and Maine history, and audiovisual materials. Contact the Reference Desk at (207) 771-2725 for more information or fill out a Subject Request form.
PALS or Partner Agency LibrarieS can issue Portland Public Library cards to their local patrons, enabling community members to use PPL’s online services like eBook downloads, Mango Languages and Heritage Quest Online. To qualify as a PALS participant, libraries must be members of the Southern Maine Library District and be willing to send a staff member to PPL’s Downtown Branch for a one-hour orientation. For more information about joining PALS, please contact Lending Services at (207) 871-1700, ext. 730.
Interlibrary Loan to Region 1 libraries is managed through our ILL office. Our professional staff can help you procure materials from millions of libraries worldwide. Read more about ILL for Region 1 Libraries.
Portland Public Library Book Discussion Sets
Book discussion sets may be borrowed by individuals and libraries. These items are available on MaineCat and in the Portland Public Library catalog. To borrow a set using the PPL catalog, simply search for “book discussion set” in the catalog. In order to select a specific set, you must FIRST place the hold and select your pick up location and click confirm. You will then be prompted to select a specific title. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the list and click confirm.
Interlibrary loan for libraries outside Maine Region 1
Portland Public Library lends all circulating materials, including audiovisual materials, via interlibrary loan to libraries worldwide. The fastest way to borrow our materials is to request via OCLC (our symbol is PPN). If you do not have access to WorldCat requesting, you may submit a request form for books, movies, audio recordings, or photocopies.
Interlibrary Loan services were made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.