Youth Services Librarian Sarah Gabrielson has been hard at work to make this area ready for families to enjoy! We have a new raised bed herb garden, the water table is open for the season, and the canopy is providing protection from the sun. Come enjoy our beautiful outdoor discovery space! 

Readers of all ages are invited to sign up for our 2026  summer reading program, offered in support of The Locker Project as part of our new Community Spotlight initiative!

Stop in to sign up and receive a reading record, then have fun completing our challenges and compete for a range of fun prizes. We’re also offering an array of programs and events related to the mission of the Locker Project, as well as a special gallery throughout month of July. Visit our Summer Reading page to learn more, and join us for our special kick-off event on Saturday, June 20:

Saturday, June 20
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
on the library’s front lawn

(If it is raining, we will move the event inside.)

Come kick off Summer Reading at the library with a picnic!
Bring your own blanket and lunch. We’ll provide the fun!

Live music provided by classical guitar player, Bruno Panunzio!

We are also encouraging everyone to bring a food item to donate to The Locker Project:

Donations Needed

Click the links below to view lists of needed items, or stop by the library to pick up print-outs!

C.A.R.E. (Culturally Appropriate Resources & Essentials)

Pantry Staples

Snacks

Shelf-Stable Protein

Tuesday,  June 16
6:30 - 7:30 pm

Don't know where to plan your next weekend trip? Whether you are new to Maine or a lifelong resident, there is bound to be something for everyone in this delightful talk with Nigel Osborne of the Maine State Visitor Information Center.  

Nigel, who moved to Maine with his family of 6 in 2002, brings his deep industry knowledge home to Maine—connecting local businesses, communities, and travelers while helping both visitors and residents discover the state’s most memorable and lesser-known experiences. Complete with travel guide and a highway map for everyone, this fun program is one you won't want to miss! No registration necessary!

Thursday, June 18
6:30 - 7:30 pm

Join Mike Hankes, a member of Cape Elizabeth Land Trust's Stewardship Committee, for a talk about the invasive plant species found in Cape Elizabeth. Throughout the program, Mike will teach the audience how to identify specific plants, all about eradication strategies, and why invasive species pose a threat to an ecosystem. He will bring in samples of actual invasive plants found in town, for participants to touch and photograph, in order to sharpen their identification skills. No registration necessary!

Thursday, June 25

6:00 - 8:00 pm

The act of coming out – in spite of gradual, encouraging, and empowering social changes in many places – has always presented challenges to the queer community.

The phrase “Are you a friend of Dorothy?” was a code that came into popular use in the 1980s as a way for members of the LGBTQ+ community to discreetly gauge whether someone was safe to be with. The specific origins of the phrase are unknown, although there is a pretty convincing argument to be made for a connection to The Wizard Of Oz, Judy Garland, and of course, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” 

With this in mind, all local “friends of Dorothy” and writers of all genres are invited to attend or take the mic for a special night of reading, sharing, and uplifting LGBTQ+ voices. Whether you have a poem, a story, an essay, or would like to read a piece by one of your favorite queer writers, we welcome you to submit your selection to be considered for TML’s first open mic night in honor of Pride Month. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis through June 19, to be evaluated by TML staff on the basis of quality, impact, and appropriateness for a PG-13 audience. 

Rules: Readers will have up to 5-7 minutes each, and must be at least 13 years old. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis, and you may be placed on a waitlist if accepted submissions are full before the night of the event. You may submit more than one piece, as long as they can be read within the time limit. All submissions will be pre-screened by library staff (who also happen to be writers) and accepted on the basis of quality, impact, and appropriateness for a PG-13 audience.

Click the button to below to submit a selection to read aloud.

We have two Class 1 E-Bikes available for borrowing by adults 18 and up. Call us to get on a waiting list, or stop by to see if one is available. We are scheduled to have the bikes through June, but hope to keep them longer!

Learn more about the bikes
and the borrowing program here!

Below are just a few of the new items recently added to our collection.

Click on an image to go to the catalog to place a hold.

Tell us about your reading preferences and we'll email you once a month with recommendations of books you can borrow from our own collection!

Reflect, learn, and celebrate with Kanopy’s thoughtfully curated film collection honoring Black history, freedom, and the ongoing pursuit of justice. Through powerful documentaries, historical narratives, and contemporary stories, these films explore the significance of Juneteenth while highlighting the voices, experiences, and resilience of Black communities past and present.

Below are just a few of the films available on this theme. 
View the entire collection in your Kanopy account here.

Don't have a Kanopy account yet?
Find out more here.

Visit our five Community Art Boxes around Town this month to view community art based on the prompt, "Once in a Blue Moon: Art Based on Idioms."  On display through the end of June are submissions by Laurie DePaolo, Mary Ballou, Kathleen Shultz, Debra Laplante, and CEMS students CEMS students Livia Marinack, Ivy Mullins, Fiona Grady, Penelope Tinkler, Ben Fallon, Arantza Moreno, Carlys Navarrodiaz, Hannah Shaw, Sam Proctor, and Allen Zou. 

"Off With Their Head," paper sculpture by Debra Laplante, currently on display in one of five Community Art Boxes.

Summer Art Challenge!

For the rest of the summer, we'll feature artwork and displays related to the themes of Food, Farms, and Family in conjunction with our Summer Reading program. 

Visit our Community Art Box page for more details, and some inspiration for artwork you could create for display later this summer!

The same group of community volunteers who organized Cape's first Pride Picnic this past Sunday have generously replenished the supply of free Pride Flags available at the library. Stop by the Community Information area in the library's lobby to pick one up!

Did you know the CE Town Council officially declared June as Pride Month in Cape Elizabeth? Read the full proclamation here. 

In support of the Town Council's goal of promoting informed and engaged citizenry, the Town of Cape Elizabeth has partnered with FlashVote to engage the community and gather valuable input from residents to inform our decisions.  FlashVote is a scientific polling platform used by local governments to gather quick, confidential feedback from a broad, representative cross-section of the community.

Sign up takes less than one minute, and your input is always kept anonymous. Personal or demographic information collected by FlashVote is never shared with the City or anyone else. When residents sign up, they can determine how surveys are received – whether by email, text or phone call. They will receive a notification whenever there is a new survey, and they will have 48 hours to participate before voting closes. Once a survey is closed, everyone who participated will automatically receive a summary of the overall results and be able to see how their responses compare to the group.

We encourage residents to sign up here now:
 https://www.flashvote.com/capeelizabethme 
or call 775-235-2240 to participate by phone or text only.

Sign up now so you don’t miss the first survey – coming soon!

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