I am the new library director in Milford, Indiana. The Milford Public Library got its start in 1907 with the Columbian Reading Circle, a women’s group that continues to meet today. Motivated women in Milford, passionate about education and community service, have been the backbone of the library’s support, including the process of applying for the Carnegie grant. Milford has carefully maintained its Carnegie building, which opened in 1919, including a $1.2 million renovation and expansion in 1995 that preserved the original character and architectural features of the building while adding accessibility. One of the library’s board members for the years leading up to the renovation was Julia (Strider) Myers, who had retired to Milford to live near her daughter. Myers was a graduate of the Pratt Institute in New York City and, in 1937, won the Israel Sachs Interior Decoration Award. Myers’s eye for design was part of what ensured the library’s historic preservation. Milford’s library has been a hub over the years for community building and education, and the town is justifiably proud of its Carnegie, which continues to be effective in serving the community over 100 years later.
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