“Anyone who has a library and a garden, wants for nothing,” wrote Roman orator and author Cicero. Those words are inscribed on a brick in the patio at the Wiscasset Public Library on High Street, one of 40 inscribed bricks installed there so far. The patio is located on the lower level of the library behind the Used Book Room.

These inscribed bricks, in sizes 4-inch x 8-inch or 8-inch x 8 inch, are a wonderful opportunity to remember a favorite friend or relative, tell someone how much they mean to you, or even to have a forever memento or a child’s handprint or drawing.

Twenty-five more orders are ready to be sent to the manufacturer, Library Director Pam Dunning said, and she wants you to know that if you place an order soon it can be added to this list. She said each year she will send out two orders — one in the spring and one in the fall.

The 4 x 8 inscribed bricks cost $50; the 8 x 8s, $100; and bricks with artwork cost $200.

The library’s board of trustees funded the building of the patio with two purposes in mind, for it to be used as a pleasant place to sit and read or chat with friends in the warmer months, but also as a fundraiser for the library. The blank bricks now in the patio are replaced with inscribed ones as the latter are purchased and produced. The library plans to use the money it earns from the patio project initially to help pay for a major re-roofing of the building, but future earnings may be used to fund the building of a brick walkway to the nearby sidewalk, thereby making the patio and the Used Book Room more accessible to all.

To order a brick, and to see a replica of one, come to the library at 21 High Street with your payment and fill out a form with your desired inscription. For more information, call Dunning on 882-7161.