Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MILFORD -ÊIt may be a "small town library," but the Milford Public Library's growth is anything but small.
Built in 1918, an addition was put on the library in 1995, doubling the size of the library to an estimated 8,000 square feet.
"They kept it true to the Carnegie Library so that when people come in they don't realize there's been a change. It looks bigger, but they can't figure out why it looks bigger," said fifth-year library director Lisa Krull.
In 1995, the library had books, videos and compact discs. Since then, the library has added a large books-on-tape collection, CD-roms for games and, starting in mid-July, they will have DVDs.
"We roughly today have 37,000 items," said Krull. "And we were pushing (40,000); However, we've come to the decision that it's better to have good updated material rather than hoarding everything, keeping everything from 1960. We have pulled a lot of materials off our shelves but ... tried to replace those areas that we have pulled from."
The library sold the pulled materials at two book sales during the past two years and made roughly $400 per sale, she said. "This year's proceeds from the book sale went to our first ever Young Adult Reading Program for sixth- through 12th-graders, and we have 40 kids signed up for that, and we've never done that before."
Proceeds also were used to buy prizes from local merchants for the reading program.
In August 1995, the library had 27,000 items, increasing the number of materials by 10,000 since then. The library hopes to circulate 72,000 items this year, based on a circulation last year of 67,000 items.
"We circulate about 240 a day, that's our average, just check-outs," said Krull.
In 1995, the library had approximately 1,700 patrons. "That was 47 percent of our population, roughly," said Krull.
As of the 1990 U.S. Census, 66 percent of the Milford population has Milford Library cards now.
"We've just started giving out library cards," said Krull. "We didn't have them before. We haven't had library cards in about eight years. ... What we've done is, actually, they used to have accounts here just on the computer. We've been automated since '93, we've had the same type of circulation system since then. Once they went to computers, they just gave everyone an account, so we would just say, 'Hi, how are you doing?' and we would just know everyone by name, and we still do, and that's a big part of our service."
Now that the library has almost 3,000 patrons, it is a little more difficult for library personnel to know everyone by name. The library doubled its staff to handle the increasing number of patrons.
"What we do focus on is getting to know our patrons and what they read. For the most part," said Krull, "we probably do know close to 90 percent of the people who do come in here."
The 11 library staff members include three full time, with the rest being either part- or quarter- time employees. They have a bookkeeper, a cataloger, student pages and other positions.
Krull said, "We've just started giving out these library cards in March and we've had 180 new patrons since March, but that's only since the new card sign- ups."
"Our big project now, we do have a Web page and there is the Web site (at www.milford.lib.in.us)," said Krull. "Sometime in the summer, hopefully before school starts, we hope to have the technology so you can look at our catalog through our Web page and that would give people more access to our collection. But what we're doing right now is trying to build the subject areas, the keyword searches on the items ... so people at home can find items. They might then be able to reserve (items) over the Internet."
She said people often ask her if books are going to go by the wayside. "Nonfiction, maybe, the research side. You can find a lot of information on the Internet, but you can't always trust it. But, for leisure reading, I don't think anyone will curl up with a good computer," she said.
The library has more than 250 books-on-tape and that's also been a hot collection for the library, she said. "Broadening our horizons in other areas than books has helped us a lot in keeping up with the current things."
In the next year, the library hopes to have consistent adult programs.
However, "youth programming is our big thing," said Krull. "Right now we have 140 kids total from ages 1 through seniors in high school doing summer programs."
Youth programs include summer preschool story times, summer reading clubs, camping craft times, Read-To-Me Club 2000 and other programs. The summer programs began this month.
To help fund its programs, the library applies for grants. The Internet connections were provided through the state; 90 percent of the computer equipment was provided through grants; they received a $500 grant from Taped Editions Inc.; and they received several Dekko Foundation grants for staff computer training.
Library regular hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and closed Sundays. In the summer, the library opens at 9 a.m.
Krull said, "For a small town library, it's not too small-town."
