Almost a decade ago, Lisa C. and her husband were gifted a trip to Portland, fell in love with the area, and decided to become part-time Cape Elizabeth residents.

When Melanie moved to town in 2013 with her young children Shane and Stephanie, connecting with Thomas Memorial Library was “priority number one”.  She viewed the library as a way to be part of their new community and as a way to meet a commitment she made for her kids:

It’s been 14 months since I attempted to write a story about the Cape Elizabeth Library. So much has happened over the last year, more perhaps than any other comparable time period in my life. COVID certainly had a large impact, but world and national events also were responsible for a lot of the ensuing chaos. 

Josh pulled up outside the library on his dirt bike.  Pulling his backpack off his shoulder, I watched as he tugged an orange paper from his bag.  “Wait a minute”, I yelled opening my car door.

August is the month that all of my grandchildren come to visit and enjoy Maine’s beautiful summers. Last year the week following the Beach to Beacon was exceptionally hot and humid

Six pm, think I’ll passon today’s perilous news.Too early for an ice cream.
How about some music
On TML’s lawn
Soothe the stresses

Wilson grew up on a farm in rural Maine, went to college planning to be a fourth generation farmer, and ended up as a professor in a Big Ten university. 

I love Thomas Memorial Library as a casual reader and as a lifelong learner. You see, in 2016 I started a small business with no business experience or education. Thomas Memorial provided me with “How-To” and Patent books that helped guide me through the early stages of building my business.

Joyce had just received news that her mother died. Alone, with two young children and amongst the happy bustle of kid’s free play at the Thomas Memorial Library, Joyce felt the room begin to spin.

The October 2017 storm in Cape Elizabeth left many in the dark. Nearly two-thirds of Cape Elizabeth’s properties were left without power for several days.

On a cold winter evening, one TML patron went to hear Irish music and found more than that in the comfort of the night.

Jane, a senior at a highly ranked liberal arts college, expected this reaction.  Gripping her phone and trying to keep her trembling chin from showing in her voice, Jane tried to explain why she couldn’t possibly come home.

A young middle school student pulled up outside the library on his dirt bike.  Pulling his backpack off his shoulder, I watched as he tugged an orange paper from his bag. 

Mary (pseudonym) is a young girl who spends a lot of time these days at the Thomas Memorial Library. However, it wasn’t always that way for her. As an infant and toddler Mary had intense problems with noise, leaving home, and trusting caregivers other then her mom.

When I shared with a fellow Board member that I knit, she immediately invited me to join the Thomas Memorial Library knitters’ group that meets every Monday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the library.

This is a story about how the Thomas Memorial Library helps retirees enjoy life.
During forty years as a professor of psychology, William Marshall read hundreds, perhaps
thousands of research papers.

Every day, and many times during the day, at public libraries all over the country, a librarian or a staff person helps an individual who wants something they cannot obtain on their own. My story is about one such staff person, and the dignity of one little old lady, who happens to be my Mom.