Curtis Memorial Library help desk employees. C. Thacher Carter / The Times Record

Brunswick’s Curtis Memorial Library reopened to patrons with limited hours on May 17 with plans to expand the hours on June 1 as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes in Maine.

According to Manager of Marketing and Development Joyce Fehl and Manager of Lending Services and Customer Experience Sarah Brown, so far, the transition back to a more normal experience has been joyful and emotional for patrons and employees.

“There was this boy who was maybe 10 or 11 and he took a few steps inside the library, stopped, and then he said, ‘my life has meaning again,’” Fehl said. “For so many people, it’s more than just a place that holds books.”

Throughout the closure various renovations took place and Fehl and Brown said that the library staff did their best to continue offering resources to the community, such as Wi-Fi Hotspot, Chrome Book rental and increased digital services.

In addition, the library has also consistently been doing curbside service since June of 2020. “That’s the thing that the community consistently says saved them,” Fehl said.

According to library visitors interviewed on Thursday, the opportunity to get back in the library has been overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s nice for me because I don’t know ahead of time what I want for a book,” said Brunswick resident Michael Strange. “Browsing is important to me and I’m happy to have it open again.”

“You don’t miss things until they’re gone is all I can say,” Strange added.

Eastport resident Mary Bugg, who was visiting her daughter in the area, said she often comes to the library to relax and pursue personal interests.

“I feel like the library because it is public access is a great equalizer, you might run into people that you might not normally run into,” Bugg said.

To break down another barrier of access, Fehl said, the library has also decided to eliminate charging fines for late books going forward.

In terms events, however, Brown said that the library is currently not hosting anything special inside probably until the fall. The library does plan to continue offering online programming.

As of Thursday, the library is open on Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to noon for curbside service only and Monday through Friday noon to 6 p.m. for indoor service only. On Saturday the library is open from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for indoor service only.

Beginning on June 1, however, the library will expand weekday hours to include both indoor and curbside service from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.