Maine Voices: By reopening to the public, Portland library is returning to our mission Welcoming you all back into our building makes it clear that we are all responsible for keeping each other healthy, safe and informed. By Hannah MatthewsSpecial to the Press Herald Share At work the other day, a woman approached me, apologizing. Her young son let go of her hand and went running past us, yelling that he was going to find a book. I could see, behind her mask and glasses, that she was crying. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she kept saying, as I searched my desk for a box of tissues I could offer her. “It’s just been such a hard year. We’re so happy to be back here again, with you.”