For the second time in three weeks, Curtis Memorial Library has been struck by vandals. Two windows along the back of the library in the teen section had been smashed between Sunday night and early Monday morning.

The damage was noticed by cleaning crews who arrived around 4 a.m. Monday and a report was filed with Brunswick police.

Library Director Elizabeth Doucett said they had hoped the first round of vandalism in the same area of the building was an isolated incident.

Ornamental trees, bushes and an iron fence provided cover for the vandals who appeared to have broken each window with a single blow. No entry to the building was made and nothing was stolen in the incident.

At a time when Doucett hoped people would enjoy visiting the library for its Harry Potter exhibit, complete with floating candles and Hogwarts acceptance letters, a crew from Portland Glass was busy boarding up the windows that will take another week to repair.

“I think what’s disconcerting about it is the fact that it’s twice in three weeks. The thing is, I struggle with spending the community’s money on security cameras when I can be buying books and doing programs,” Doucett said.

Doucett said it’s always a balancing act between security and spending on programs. However, when it happens twice in three weeks, it makes her wonder if perhaps some cameras aren’t a bad investment.

The problem Doucett sees with installing cameras as a deterrent is that she would have to put them around the entire perimeter of the building for fear a vandal will see the cameras covering one area and just move on to where there are none.

Doucett said it’s just a shame that organizations have to spend money on keeping their buildings safe instead of what the organizations are meant to do.

“The story I’m trying to make people understand is that when you vandalize a library, you’re vandalizing the entire community. It’s not just something that happens to the library — we all suffer because we all support the library,” Doucett said.

dmcintire@timesrecord.com

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