Located in downtown Waterville, Maine, the Waterville Public Library has a wide variety of events, programming, and resources for everyone. Amber Watrous, who works mostly on cataloging and processing at the library, said, “We have a wide variety of programs, events, and community outreach–type programming… We do a pretty good job of stretching across age ranges or tailoring to certain age ranges and trying to have something for everybody.”
One new addition is the Bad Art Club, an art group meeting on the third Friday of each month for teens through adults. “We don’t want little kids in there so that there’s some semblance of the teens being with the older people, but then everybody is still doing their own project, interacting with one another, bouncing ideas, and stuff like that. It’s really cool how it can span across all of the ages,” Watrous said.
If you’re wondering what happens during the Bad Art Club, Loren Drake, who also works at the library, said, “We’re all gonna show up at the same time, and we’re going to make judgment-free, horrible art.” Watrous said the first event “seemed to go pretty well” and that people enjoyed it, adding that “the art programs really seem to have a lot of interest” at the library.
The library also hosts author events for all age ranges. Drake said Ron Currie, an award-winning author of five novels who was born and raised in Waterville, Maine, gave a talk at the library for his novel The Savage, Noble Death of Babes Dionne (2025), which Drake said was “very well attended.” Currie is returning to the library to give a talk on his newest novel, We Will See You Bleed (2026), on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, at 12 p.m.
Watrous also said the library tries “to match community events” where they can. When John Green visited Colby College, the library held a scavenger hunt. Drake said people would “go through the library and look for things that alluded to Alaska,” and Watrous added that the library had a few of his items, such as signed book copies.
The Waterville Public Library is also worth checking out if you are interested in graphic novels or are in need of writing tutoring. Drake said that of any library or public institution in Maine, this library has “the largest collection of graphic novels.” Additionally, he mentioned opportunities to “be tutored by trained Colby writing tutors at the library.”
Drake mentioned that the library has “really evolved over time” in its role in the community. He said, “It used to be we were just lending books, but more and more we’re sort of a third space for the community. We’re open and inclusive to everybody, and this is probably one of the few places in Waterville where you can get a cross section of the entire town in a single building, of which we’re very proud.”
Watrous also said that the library is one of the only places in Waterville where “you can just go be somewhere without paying for anything.” She continued and said, “You don’t have to be a member to be here. You don’t have to buy anything to be here. You can just come and sit, you can use a computer, or you can look at a magazine — there’s a lot of options.”
The library does even more, including children’s programming, job-seeking support, and additional art groups. So check out the Waterville Public Library or, better yet, try out some of the many fun events they hold!
~ Haley Hegarty `28
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