Southern Maine Library District Services: PALS Program

As the Area Reference and Resource Center (ARRC) for the Southern Maine Library District, Portland Public Library offers a variety of services to member libraries, including the PALS program.

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 OverDrive EBook downloads, Mango Languages, and Heritage Quest Online from home, school or work.

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 Main Branch for a one-hour orientation.

Your orientation packet will include:

1. PPL user cards and application forms to issue to your patrons

2. A welcome sheet to distribute with user cards that explains PPL's services to your patrons

3. A full list of PPL's online services and subscription databases

4. Publicity materials to help you spread the word in your community.

When your library has successfully completed the training, you can accept PPL patron registration forms at your library which you can then email, fax or mail to PPL's main branch for processing and activation, which typically takes 7-10 days.

A current list of PALS participants can be found here. For more information about how your library can join PALS, please contact Sage at 871-1700, ext. 733.