A new director is expected to be at the helm of the updated Thomas Memorial Library once it reopens next year.

Longtime library director Jay Scherma, who turns 66 on Jan. 20, 2016, is retiring from the position in late January after more than 20 years. Oct. 31 will mark his 20th anniversary at the library.

His plan is to stay on board until late January so he can see through the library’s long-awaited $4 million expansion project, which began this spring.

“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to get the new building open before I retire,” said Scherma, a Cape Elizabeth resident.

Through the years Scherma has served on the executive committee for the state’s online library catalog Minerva, and as the president of the Maine Library Association from 2000-2002. In 2012, the library association named Scherma “Outstanding Librarian of the Year.”

Scherma said he and his wife plan to pursue gardening, and visit their son in Ohio, as well as other family members who live out of state, during retirement.

He will miss the people he has worked with through the years, including the library staff, fellow town department heads, and “the people of Cape Elizabeth who have been very gracious and welcoming,” he said.

He said residents have been “very receptive to his ideas and plans” for the future Thomas Memorial Library.

“It’s been a successful tenure,” said Scherma.

– Kayla J. Collins

Jay Scherma