By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO —When most people think of the types of public buildings that are typically targeted by burglars, pharmacies, banks and convenience stores come to mind.

Certainly, a library would not seem like the most lucrative place to rob.

But, when a staff member opened the Casco Public Library on Sunday, she noticed that a few things were out of place.

According to Library Director Caroline Paradise, a light was on that had been turned off the night before. That was what had alerted the employee, who then discovered the broken window and contacted the police.

The library had been burglarized, she said.

“They crashed the window in, hit the money drawer, went into my office, ripped open a Mother’s Day gift that had been nicely wrapped, left that on the desk,” Paradise said.

“They were obviously after the cash,” she said.

The amount of money on hand was between $25 and $30, she said.

The thief or thieves took the change that had been collected from sales of Peppermint Patties — a fundraiser for the library. However, the change in the cash drawer was not touched, she said.

On the way out of the library, the person, or persons, dumped a bag of returnable bottles and cans on the floor of the foyer, Paradise said.

The burglary has left both staff and patrons shaking their heads and asking “why?”

On Sunday, “a couple of people have put money in the jar and said they were sorry that this happened,” Paradise said.

On Tuesday morning, one woman wrote a check — a donation to help replace the broken window. The woman made the donation out in her cat’s name since the feline enjoyed listening to a good book being read aloud.

For now, the broken window, which leads to the library bathroom, has been covered with a sheet of plywood.

On Tuesday Paradise said that Portland Glass will come to Casco Village to provide the library with a cost estimate for replacing the window, which was frosted glass.

Although that is covered under the library’s insurance policy, she said it is likely that the deductible will be paid out-of-pocket.

“Our deductible is $1,000; and I cannot imagine the window costing that much,” she said.

In the process of taking fingerprints, law enforcement officials use a type of ink toner. Paradise said that has been difficult to clean up, but she hopes the fingerprints will provide detectives with a lead.