Ilsley Public Library

09/01/2026

🎥Thank you WCAX-TV for the coverage of our grand opening celebration!

If you didn't get a chance to visit us on Saturday, don't fret! We are OPEN for our regular hours! Come by any time to visit:

Monday - Thursday: 8am-6pm
Friday: 8am-4pm
Saturday: 9am-4pm

Ilsley Public Library reopens after $17 million renovationFor m...

09/01/2026

We were delighted to visit Middlebury on Saturday and see the Grand Opening of the new Ilsley Public Library! We visited with some friends there at the opening, including John Vincent of A Revolutionary Press, who helped folks make their own special-edition prints to honor the day.

John offers a talk through our Speakers Bureau, "A Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted."

And speaking of talks, don't miss Coco Moseley and Dr. Ellery Foutch from the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History at the Ilsley on October 20, for "Pins and Pies, Linens and Lamps: Imagining the World of Charity and Sylvia."

"Drawing on the Archive: Tillie Walden's Charity and Sylvia" is currently on display at the Sheldon, across the street from the library!

Music: Here Forever by Adi Goldstein, licensed via MusicVine

08/30/2026

❤️Just a few photos from an absolutely incredible day.

📋450 people attended our ribbon-cutting ceremony, with more than double that going in and out of our beautiful new entrances
📋40 new library cards were issued
📋556 books were checked out

Thank you to the entire Middlebury community for showing up for us; we couldn’t do it without you.

08/29/2026

🎉We’re SO back!

There will be more photos and video from this absolutely beautiful day, so for now, we’ll just say: thank you. This community made something incredible happen, and we hope you love it.

Visit us during our normal operating hours to explore our gorgeous new building:

Monday-Thursday: 8am-6pm
Friday: 8am-4pm
Saturday: 9am-4pm

08/28/2026

🎥We were on the news! Thank you Lindsay Jones My NBC5 for reporting on our beautiful new library. Check out the video for a sneak peek ahead of our opening tomorrow!

Middlebury library will reopen Saturday after it was closed for con...

08/28/2026

🎉TOMORROW!🎉

After months of renovation & expansion work, your Ilsley Public Library team is thrilled to welcome you back to 75 Main Street!

Please join us TOMORROW at 75 Main Street for the Ilsley's GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION!

9:30am: Music with the Bristol Band
10:00am: Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
10:30am-12:00pm: Open House (Exploration, crafts & refreshments!)
11:00am: StoryTime with Ms. Tricia
2:00pm: Short Film Screening: "Storyboard: The Musical" (part of MNFF - free!)

We look forward to seeing you on this joyous occasion!

Note: please keep in mind that while the library will be operating as usual on the 29th, it will be incredibly busy with events. As such, we ask that you continue to hold on to your returned books until the following week, on September 1 or later. We sincerely appreciate it!

08/27/2026

📣Sarah Partridge Library will be CLOSED on Saturday, August 29 so that all staff can attend our grand opening at 75 Main Street!

📣Please also note that our special extended hours at Sarah Partridge will end on Friday, August 28 at the finish of the business day (so, we will still be open that day from 8am-4pm.)

📣Regular hours at Sarah Partridge will resume the week of August 31: Tuesdays 9am-12pm, Thursdays 2pm-6pm, Saturdays 9am-12pm

08/26/2026

🍂It's the first day of school, so that means we've got FALL on the mind! (And about a million other things, like our GRAND OPENING on Saturday, but, we digress...)

🍁Please join us at the Ilsley for our FALL FAMILY FUN events! These FREE events are designed for all ages and kick off with a Live Raptor presentation with the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) on September 5th at 11am! (Hot tip: hit the Friends' book sale in the Community Room before or after!)

We can't wait to welcome you back to 75 Main Street!

08/25/2026

Today, Middlebury Chief of Police Jason Covey provided a safety training to library staff. We are grateful for the evidence-based information he provided and the conversations his presentation began, so that we can all enjoy our new library safely and comfortably.

08/22/2026

📣The Ilsley was briefly featured in this episode! Check it out for free: https://www.pbs.org/video/reading-roadtrip-episode-118-vermont-x0rmrg/

We were on PBS!

In case you missed it, the Vermont edition of the Reading Road Trip series created in partnership with PBS Books and The Library of Congress premiered last night. We were honored to highlight some of the amazing authors, libraries and literary landmarks from across the history of our state.

If you want to watch the full episode, or see some of the videos from the other states and territories, be sure to check out the videos on PBS Books Facebook or YouTube. Link for this video is in the comments.