Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domainHancock has no public library of its own; the nearest is Frenchmans Bay Library in Sullivan, 3.2 miles away
Hancock doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Frenchmans Bay Library in Sullivan, 3.2 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
A−Civic lifeAhead of 83% of U.S. towns · #29 of 143 in Maine. Nonprofits and volunteering.Libraries for Hancock, in brief
Hancock borrows from the libraries next door
Hancock has no public library of its own, but three libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Frenchmans Bay Library in Sullivan (3.2 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Hancock isn’t the only town nearby without one
Sorrento and Lamoine don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Sullivan (Frenchmans Bay Library), Franklin (Franklin Library) and Bar Harbor (Jesup Memorial Library) do. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Frenchmans Bay Library is nearest, open about 16 hours a week. Ellsworth Public Library, 6.8 miles away, is open about 47 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
The nearby libraries are all fine-free
None of the four closest libraries charges late fines. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Hancock’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Hancock is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #29 of 143 in Maine. Hancock is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Hancock’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
13 community nonprofits are registered in Hancock
5.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
9.4%
9.4% of Hancock’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 9.0% in the typical Maine town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Hancock’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 3.2 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Hancock. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Harbor | Jesup Memorial Library fine-free | 8.7 | 41 | A+ |
| Gouldsboro | Dorcas Library fine-free | 3.1 | 19 | B |
| Sullivan | Frenchmans Bay Library fine-free | 1.0 | 16 | B+ |
| Franklin | Franklin Library fine-free | 0.9 | 12 | B |
| Sorrento | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Lamoine | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Hancock
Does Hancock have a public library?
No. The closest is Frenchmans Bay Library in Sullivan, 3.2 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Hancock’s civic life grade?
A− Hancock is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on civic life, #29 of 143 in Maine. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Hancock.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.