On March 9, 1874, it was 23 degrees below zero in Williamstown — but the cold did not deter Town residents from attending that year’s Town Meeting, where they voted to establish a public library. To celebrate the anniversary of this event, community members gathered at the David and Joyce Milne Public Library — known colloquially as the Milne — exactly 150 years after its founding.
“The staying power of a public library is amazing,” said Judy Ensign, a long-time volunteer at the library who spearheaded the sesquicentennial celebration. “We’re the second oldest institution in town — we’re doing something right.”
At the 150th anniversary open house at the Milne on Saturday afternoon, community members of all ages enjoyed cupcakes, live music, storytelling, and raffles. Historical books and documents displayed throughout the library helped contextualize its history, including the minutes of the Town Meeting during which Town residents founded the library.
“Voted, that the town of Williamstown appoint a board of trustees … to take charge of the town library; to purchase books; to appoint a librarian,” the minutes read. There were originally five trustees — three men and two women.
The Milne brought educational resources to the community beyond the bounds of academia. “In 1874, Williamstown was a college town, but the rest of the population was a lot of farmers,” said Kirsten Rose ’94, assistant director of the Milne. “Higher education wasn’t necessarily a thing that regular people had access to, but the library was a way that regular people could come and educate themselves.”
Ensign said the inspiration for the event arose while she was writing an article for Berkshire Magazine about Chapter Two Books on Spring Street — a used book store run by the Friends of Milne Public Library to raise funds for the library.
Through her research, Ensign discovered that the library was founded in 1874. “My mind didn’t quite compute that 1874 was 150 years ago, and then it sunk in,” she said. “So I went to the library trustees and told them [the anniversary] was coming up. I think it’s an important thing to remember.”
Over the last two years, Ensign and Rose have collaborated with a team of eight library staff and trustees to bring the commemoration to life. “I’ve been on the committee since pretty much the very beginning, planning different events and trying to make this a real community effort,” Rose said.
Beyond the open house, members of the committee organized several events throughout March and April. Calling on other institutional powerhouses in the Town, they planned book-related exhibits, talks, and film screenings at The Clark Art Institute and launched an exhibit of books from 1874 at the College’s Special Collections gallery.
Many attendees expressed their love and appreciation for the library. “You just have to have books readily available,” Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, Emerita, Anne Skinner told the Record. “I know people do a lot of reading online, but there’s nothing like coming in and taking a book in your hand and turning the pages — it really gets you into it.”
Skinner, an avid library patron, said that she visits the Milne weekly. “I think it’s one of my favorite places in Town,” she said.
The event spurred discussion on the value of public libraries. “I think a public library is important to every town in the country,” Ensign said. She commented on the trend of disinformation being spread online. “I really feel that this may be the last type of institution where information is unbiased, and where you can find out the truth of things, or certainly do the research to find out.”
Rose pointed out that public libraries offer the benefit of being open to everyone, which is why they are vital to communities like the Town, she said. “I’ve seen a lot of things about how libraries operate as a kind of a ‘third place’ — you have home and you have work or school, but the library is a third place where you can just go and gather,” she said. “Because it’s a public library, anybody can come here. We’re not just here for certain people.”
Robin Lenz, who serves on the library’s elected Board of Trustees, emphasized the library’s power to increase equity of access to information. “For instance, 10 percent of our community cannot afford internet, so they can come here and check out a device that will give them internet,” she said. “They can have it for a month and then can check it out again.”
Rose added that, unlike the College’s libraries, the Milne serves needs beyond academic and curricular necessities. “We can have some of that stuff, but we can also have Lego books, horror movies, and romance novels,” she said. “We support whatever it is that people want to do in their spare time, which is just as valid as wanting to educate yourself.”
Many attendees reflected on the significance of the library’s 150-year milestone and the technological, demographic, and historical changes it has withstood. “It’s amazing to think about just how much this community has changed and how much libraries have changed,” Rose said.
“I love it here,” Skinner said. “I hope it lasts for another 150 years.”
Rose said that her team at the library is always working to adapt to modern needs. “We don’t know where the technology is going, what direction things will go in, [or] how community needs will change,” she said. “We try to be responsive to the community — that’s what we’re here for, to serve community needs. So if the community needs change, then we need to be there to meet that.”
“We’ve been here 150 years, and we’re looking forward to what comes next,” Rose added. “150 years ago, they wouldn’t have imagined what libraries look like. Now, I don’t think we can imagine what libraries will look like in the next 100 years or 150 years, either. We try to stay on the forefront of technology and community needs.”
