Middlebury’s ‘Town Square’ returns: Ilsley Library opens after a year and a half of construction

The Middlebury Campus

By Elisabeth Dellit

September 17, 2026

On Aug. 29 Ilsley Public Library reopened its doors after 18 months of renovation. The new library, which cost around 17 million dollars, welcomed over 3,700 people on the very first day alone.

Dana Hart, the director of the Ilsley Public Library, has worked there for the past nine years. During her tenure, most of her job has been focused on the renovation and expansion of the library.

“I was hired with the understanding that this was going to be a big project that I was expected to work on. I would say we really started working on this iteration in earnest around five years ago,” Hart explained in an interview with The Campus.

This project has been a long time coming, with the greater Addison County dreaming up renovations for the past two decades. Read the rest of the article here.