Employees at the York Public Library recently showed up to work and found some unexpected campers. They soon learned that a camping app listed the York Public Library in Maine as an informal campsite even though the library had never agreed to host overnight visitors.
Library employees arrived Monday morning to find several overland trucks parked at the far end of the lot. A man was also sitting on the front porch and using an outdoor electrical outlet to charge his devices.
The travelers told Library Director Michelle Sampson that they had found the parking lot through iOverlander. The community-created database helps people traveling in vans and trucks locate campsites and other useful stops.
The library is now taking steps to prevent anyone else from camping there. Outdoor outlets have been locked, no-camping signs have been ordered, and the town has asked iOverlander to remove the listing.
Campers Found the Library Through an App
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“They were traveling as a group,” Sampson told Portland CBS affiliate WGME. “And one of them had said that they found it on iOverlander.” Previous visitors had promoted the library on iOverlander as a quiet place to park and sleep. Posts mentioned the large parking lot, access to the library’s free Wi-Fi, and that no employees would arrive on Sundays.
One listing also reportedly described the location as having running water. Sampson said iOverlander never contacted the library to confirm that overnight camping was permitted before the location appeared on the app.
The Library Is Now Blocking Overnight Camping
The library recently received an electric bill that was between $300 and $500 higher than the previous summer. Sampson said the campers’ use of the outdoor outlets might help explain the increase, although a direct cause has not been confirmed. York’s 2026 voter guide said town funding was expected to cover approximately 75 percent of the library’s operating costs.
Sampson said visitors are welcome to use the library and its services during regular operating hours. However, the property is not a campground and overnight guests cannot remain in the parking lot.