Mission:
The Milton Public Library is a center for learning and leisure, a gathering place, and a source of community pride. We strive to fulfill patron needs for information and entertainment materials; endeavor to meet the learning needs of patrons on topics related to work, school, and personal life; encourage learning and intellectual growth from the earliest ages; and foster an atmosphere of intellectual freedom in the American tradition of liberty.
History:
According to Milton’s Story, published by the Milton Bicentennial Committee in 1976, the Milton Public Library was established in March, 1898. It was opened to the public on August 13, 1898 with a town appropriation of $40 and some state aid. The library of 105 books was housed at the house of the first librarian, Mrs. C.L. Wolcott on Main Street. This house, last owned by Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Elwood, was acquired by St. Anne’s Catholic Church. The site is currently used for parking space.
The Chittenden County Historical Society mentions in Look Around Colchester and Milton, Vermont that between 1909 and 1924 the Milton Public Library moved into an office building built by Joseph Clark where Librarian F.S. Morgan had his Arrowhead Press office at “Bridge Square”.
In 1925, the Library was relocated to a small room in the Clark Memorial Building, a gift to Milton from the Clark estate. In 1941, the Milton Public Library moved into larger quarters, the former G.A.R. room in the same building. An extra room was added in 1967 to meet growing demands placed on the Library by Milton’s rapid population growth.
The Library was located in the town hall at the Clark Memorial Building on Main St. until 1995. In July of 1995, the Library and other departments moved into the new municipal complex on Bombardier Rd.
In June 2011, under the direction of Librarian Fran Ferro, the Library floor space was doubled to include a community meeting room, a children’s area, two bathrooms and additional publicly accessible shelving for adult, young adult, and juvenile books. In October 2011, the Library began using the Koha cataloging system by joining the Vermont Organization of Koha Automated Libraries (VOKAL), a project of the Green Mountain Library Consortium.
