We may be closed to the public, but KFL staff is still here to help! We'll be using this tab to post updates, information, and links to online resources. Items in red are the most recently added resources.

---

KFL Reopening for Curbside

The Kennebunk Free Library is pleased to be taking another step in our path to reopening, as we introduce curbside services. Beginning on Monday, June 15, you will be able to request items through the KFL catalog. We will also be accepting phone orders on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons from 1:00 – 5:00 (please have your library card ready). 

We will process orders on a first-come, first-served basis. Once your order is ready, we will give you a call with a pick-up date.  Pick-ups will be Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons in the outdoor amphitheater behind the library. Please call us when you arrive and wait at the top of the ramp until the patron ahead of you has left. If you do not have a cell phone, call before you leave home with an expected arrival time.  There will be plenty of signage in the parking lot to point you in the right direction. 

We are extremely excited to begin lending again. We have been busy ordering new books and movies and cannot wait for you to take them home. There will be some changes from our old procedures so we ask that you bear a few things in mind:

• We will work as quickly as we can, but we are expecting a very busy first couple of weeks. It might be a few days wait between your request and your pick-up date. 
• We will be able to loan only our items. The van service that delivers Minerva books around the state will not resume until at least July.  
• If you had something from another library waiting on the holdshelf for you before we closed, we will be calling to see if you still want it.
• We encourage you to order extra items, just in case the one that you want is not available. An item may say “available” in the catalog but might have been requested by the patron just before you or may be in its 3-day quarantine period and not available for immediate check-out.
• Printing services will be available for curbside pickup if you email your document in advance, to kflcirc@kennebunk.lib.me.us. If you would like a Clynk bag or BookPage included in your order, let us know.
• We have changed the check-out period to 4 weeks and we will continue to waive fines. 
• We are accepting returns only through the book drop. Please do not leave them on the pick-up table. Because of this, we are unable to loan out ukuleles, games, or other items that are too large for the book drop. 
• We are not accepting donations at this time. 
• We will be doing our best to make sure that the items you take are safe. We are quarantining returned items and will be cleaning surfaces and hands frequently. However, we will have to handle the items that we pull and package for you. If you have concerns, we encourage you to quarantine them in your home.  
• Staff will be masked for your safety. We ask that you also wear a face covering and follow physical distancing guidelines when picking up your items. 

If you are unable to make it to the library, give us a call to discuss options.

We appreciate your patience as we take this next step. Please give us a call or email us with any questions or concerns.

---

Library News and Updates

We miss seeing you in person, but we're still here! While we're closed, we are trying to maintain as many services as possible. Here's some of what we're working on:

• We're still around to talk to you. Every staff member is working from home and available to answer e-mails. We are also checking the library voicemail daily. Leave us a message and we will call you back.
• Friends of KFL have provided funds to add additional books to Overdrive, the digital library available to KFL patrons. Instructions are available here. As always, if you have any trouble, let us know and we will walk you through it.
• The Maine State Library is redirecting $40,000 to add more books to CloudLibrary. Instructions are available here. FAQs are here. Let us know if you need help.
• If you need a new library card to access online resources and are a Kennebunk, Arundel, Kennebunkport, or Wells resident, call or e-mail us and we can get an account set up for you. We can also renew your existing cards. 
• Our wi-fi is on and accessible from our lawn and our parking lot - you can access the internet without leaving your vehicle.
• Even though we can't meet in person, we are working on ways to offer more of our programming online. Check our rotating display and our newsletter for updates.
• If you miss reading our newspapers, here’s a step-by-step guide to using one of the free ways the Digital Maine Library allows patrons to read several articles from most of the newspapers KFL subscribes to, as well as other newspapers.
• Ancestry.com is currently FREE for Maine Residents to use at home (though it must still be accessed through the Digital Maine Library).

---

Free Things to Do: Online, Outdoors, and More

• Maine Library Virtual Events Calendar a great resource of virtual programs you can attend, run by libraries all over Maine

Books and Reading: Physical books and movies may not be as easily available, but there are plenty of online options too.

• CloudLibrary ebooks and audiobooks through the Maine State Library (free with a KFL library card)
  • Video Tutorial on how to use CloudLibrary (courtesy of Rockport Public Library)
• OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks through KFL (free with a KFL library card)
• Portland Public Library is offering temporary eResource library cards. To sign up, e-mail them at lending@portlib.org.
• Project Gutenberg thousands of public domain e-books
• LibriVox Audiobooks volunteers reading public domain books (This is great both for listeners and people wanting to volunteer! It also includes selections in multiple languages.)
• Audible selection of hundreds of free audiobooks “for as long as schools are closed”, including many books for children

Streaming Video:

• Crackle free TV/movie streaming
• Tubi free TV/movie streaming

Outdoor Activities

• Kennebunk Land Trust was founded to preserve and protect significant natural spaces in Kennebunk. Here are a few places to visit right in our backyard.
  • The Land Trust has a Bicen”trail”ial Challenge, going on from now until September 22.
• The Eastern Trail stretches from Kittery to South Portland, including many off-road trails great for biking or walking.
• Hope Woods has many trails great for walking, running, birdwatching, and more.

Virtual Tours:

• Tour famous museums
• 94 Fun Things You Can Do at Home, Anytime
• Visit US National Parks virtually
• 27 Virtual Field Trips around the globe and beyond
• 8 Virtual Garden Tours around the World
• Tour the Louvre (The information on individual pieces is in French, but it is still magnificent to look at!)

• Color Our Collections Libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions around the world are sharing free coloring sheets and books based on materials in their collections.
• DIY Thought full of craft ideas for children and adults alike
• Building a Simple Birdhouse
• Make a terrarium mini-garden

• Online game options to play with people
• Coral-mapping video game lets you help preserve coral reefs by playing!

• Brick Store Museum’s Online Digital Learning Center offers resources that allow you to discover local history, arts, and culture from the comfort of your home.
• The Brick Store Museum also has a History Hopper App, which features 80 locations in the Kennebunks where interesting people lived or where historical events occurred.
• Help librarians and archivists transcribe digitized letters, tag pictures, and more.
• Coronavirus Sanity Guide meditations, podcasts, blog posts for coping with stress, fear, and anxiety regarding the Coronavirus Outbreak
• Harry Potter at Home including Book 1 for free, how-to-draw tutorials, games, and more
•  
• NASA at Home
• Hubble Birthday from NASA - put in a particular month and day and see an image the Hubble telescope captured on that day
• National Park Service In Your Home park activities you can do from the comfort of your home with your family
• Open Culture free online courses from top universities around the world
• The MoMA is offering free online art classes
• Learn About LGBTQ+ History during Pride Month, from the Library of Congress
• KFL has created some journaling pages: a Daily Checklist  to track some new routines to care for yourself and others.; Nature Notes to help you connect to the natural world; and "What I'm... Reading, Watching, or Listening To" pages, available in 4/page, 2/page and 1/page.

---

Resources for Adults

Including COVID-19 Resources

Community Resources

• To Get Help The towns of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, and Arundel are partnering with Community Outreach Services (COS), a local non-profit, to assist our community.
• Operation Takeout local businesses currently offering takeout/delivery; updated daily by the Chamber of Commerce
• Maine Farm and Seafood Products Directory local food producers who are offering socially distanced ways to obtain their food (curated by Cooperative Extension)
• Mobile Meals Kitchen Free Lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays 12-1 pm, in Sanford
• Free Summer Lunch Program for students COS of the Kennebunks is working with the RSU and the 3 Town Social Services offices to provide a FREE Summer Lunch Program this summer.
• Town of Kennebunk COVID-19/Coronavirus Information
• Do you need local assistance? Do you want to help but don’t know how? In addition to the town resources above ("To Get Help"), many organizations in the York County area are here to help those affected by the COVID-19 crisis, and are in need of donations.  A non-exhaustive list is below, please reach out to them for more information.
  • Community Outreach Services
  • Seeds of Hope
  • Southern Maine Agency on Aging Meals on Wheels program 
  • United Way of York County
  • York County Community Action
  • York County Shelter Programs including food pantry and shelter
  • Biddeford Food Pantry - donations by check or money order can be sent to: Biddeford Food Pantry, 162 Elm St., Biddeford, ME 04005
• American Red Cross where to make an appointment to give blood 

 

---

Resources for Children/Teens

For parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone with young ones around, we have curated our favorite/the most helpful Children's and Teen Resources we have found. 
 

Books and Reading:

• Tumblebooks access to children’s e-books; username "Tumble735" and password "books"

Streaming Video

• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood watch full-length Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood programs
• Storyline Online videos of actors reading picture books accompanied by animated illustrations
• Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems daily writing/art classes with author Mo Willems
• Dav Pilkey At Home drawing demonstrations and read alouds

Education:

• Anti-Racism and Diverse Book Resources
  • Tips from experts on how to talk about race with children
  • 8 tips for choosing “good” picture books featuring diverse, BIPOC characters
  • Where to find diverse books, curated by the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books
  • Anti-racist resources for children, families, and educators, curated by The Brown Bookshelf
  • For readers of YA: 45 Black Young Adult Novels to add to your TBR pile
  • Sesame Street Workshop on Talking Race With Young Children
• For high school students tuition-free early college summer courses available at UMaine and UMM
• FREE online college courses for the Class of 2020 this summer thanks to Maine's Community College System
• Center for Interactive Learning live-streaming educational programming for grades K-6
• Code free coding classes and project for K-12
• For Teens: Math Planet offers free high school math courses in Pre-algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Geometry, as well as prepared practice tests for the SAT and ACT
• Author Kate Messner is compiling a “library of resources for kids, families, teachers, and librarians to make sure that reading & learning can happen anywhere this spring.”
• Steve Spangler Science experiments at home science experiments to do at home
• Tech for Learners database to search for products and services by EdTech companies 
• Babble Dabble Do craft ideas for children
• Reading tips for helping beginning readers
• Learn the ABCs of Wildlife with the National Park Foundation
• Science Experiments kids can do at home with stuff you already have
• Engineering Challenge Cards from the James Dyson Foundation, using common household items
• 50 Free STEAM activities for kids
• Mystery Science free, easy science for remote learning
• Rainbow Science Create rainbow reflections with the CD, and use paper to alter the patterns of the light.

• How to Make A Kite using dowels and newspaper
• How To Make a Lego Necklace
• Fun activities to do with plants
• Musical Activities to do with your family during the shutdown, from a music therapist
• Free Printables for Preschoolers 350 free printables and resources for preschool children
• Rainy Day Activities for Preschoolers includes both indoor and outdoor fun
• How to Build a Marble Track using paper plates
• DIY Garden Stepping Stone with children
• 50 Process Art Projects for kids
• Free Science Game Apps through the Space Science Institute
• How to create a comic strip
• Build a Backyard Obstacle Course
• Activities Inspired by Picture Books

Miscellaneous:

• Beautiful Blackbird Children's Summer Virtual Book Festival Brought to you by Indigo Arts Alliance, this site offers activities, dance, and links to a collection of children's books by Black authors and artists.
• River Tree Arts Youth Art Contest River Tree Arts is hosting a Youth Art Contest with the theme: Summer Love! What do you love about summer?
• SWARM! (Student Writers and Readers Meet!) A digital initiative through The Telling Room for kids and teens ages 10-18 who would like to write and publish with other youth in new regional writing groups in Maine.
• The Pizza Hut Summer Camp BOOK IT! The program has been dedicated to encouraging reading in schools nationwide.
• 30 Modern, Middle School Classics
• Digital Maine Library provides students, business people, public library patrons, and higher education students and educators the ability to use online learning tools
• Children's Museum and Theater of Maine daily online programming
• Sesame Street: Caring for Each Other Initiative to help parents and children during the coronavirus pandemic
• Librarian-recommended apps and games 2020 picks for Notable Children's Digital Media
• Wonderopolis poses an intriguing question each day called the 'Wonder of the Day'
• Easy Ways to Get Kids Birding from the National Audubon Society
• Garden Scavenger Hunt 
• 50 Ideas for a Healthy & Active Family
• Maine Project Learning Tree offers links and activities that “use trees and forests as windows on the world” for all grades, pK-12
• Mindfulness and Relaxation Apps for kids with anxiety.
• KFL has created an At-Home Scavenger Hunt. The At-Home Scavenger Hunt Clues page can be trimmed to match the number of flowers you plan to hide. The fill-in-the-blank clues allow you to personalize the hunt to your home. The At-Home Scavenger Hunt Flowers page can be cut along the dotted lines. Flowers can be decorated and/or adorned with a name, to designate whose flower is whose, and just to be creative. We hope you have fun!
• Looking for more scavenger hunts? Try these!
• Take a look at a day in the life aboard the International Space Station with NASA.

---