Summer Hours

The library is closed on Saturdays during the summer. Saturday hours will return after Labor Day (Sept. 7). Weekday library hours remain the same: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Summer ESL Class Schedule 

Regular drop-in classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays  evenings will return in September.  Las clases regulares sin inscripción previa los martes y jueves en las noches volverán en septiembre.

Conversation Circles ~ Círculos de Conversación. Practice speaking English in a small informal group. The circle will meet every Monday at 11 a.m. in the ESL Classroom. Practicar hablar Inglés en un grupo pequeño e informal. El círculo se reunirá todos los lunes a 11 a.m. en el salón de clases de ESL.

Center Book Group 

The Center Book Group meets next on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Milford Senior Center to discuss And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. 

Calling all Christie aficionados to discuss her masterpiece mystery, And Then There Were None. First published in 1939, the novel has sold over 100 million copies and earned the distinction as "World's Favourite Christie" when her estate held a global vote. No one beats Christie's intricate plotting and clue placement.

Join the eight people who receive an invitation from an unknown host to visit a small island. Each person carries some secret about their past. The guests never meet their mysterious host, instead are greeted by a butler and housekeeper. The first death by cyanide poisoning happens at dinner soon followed by others. Is the killer among them? What is their motive? The tension and suspense grow with each page.

You needn't be a regular member of the book group to come, though newcomers are always welcome. To reserve a copy, call 508-473-2145 ext. 2 or reserve online, milford.cwmars.org or via the Libby App.

Milford Town Library Adult Book Club

The August meeting of the Milford Town Library Adult Book Club is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. Please join us! Designed for readers 18 and older, our meetings will take place on the third Thursday of each month. 

August's selection, A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst is based on the true story of married couple Maurice and Maralyn Bailey who left their home in suburban England in June 1972 to sail the world. 

Despite years of preparation for their odyssey at sea, their boat Auralyn sank after being pierced by a collision with a whale, six months after they departed. Maurice and Maralyn escaped in their dinghy with a few supplies. They were at sea for six months before being rescued by a tuna boat in the Pacific.

Author Elmhirst, a journalist who writes for The Economist and the Guardian, explores both the interior and exterior impact the shipwreck had on this marriage. 

Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk, or check out on the Libby app. Questions? Call 508-473-2145 ext. 2 or email [email protected].

A Proper Fit: Women at Work in a City of Corsets

On Wed., Sept. 2,  at 7 p.m., the Friends of the Milford Town Library welcome author Anne Marie Murphy for a book talk on her recently published, A Proper Fit: Women at Work in a City of Corsets. The twenty-first century has seen the emergence of the corset as haute couture, red carpet finery. A Proper Fit tells only part of the story of the garment’s evolution and its importance to large groups of women in a New England city.

For Anne Marie Murphy, what began as curiosity about one female business owner from 1904, became an exploration of a huge industry in Worcester, Massachusetts: corset making. From the Civil War to the 1980s, the city was home to an astounding 126 corset-related businesses. Women were at the helm of half of them. The industry created a wealth of female self-employment opportunities long before American women had the right to vote. One woman, in particular, operated at the highest level—factory owner Mary Heintzelman Gifford Bowne. How did she learn the trade? How did she become a world famous corset designer? And, how did she fare as a female factory owner in the U.S. in that era?

A Proper Fit highlights Mary’s story as well as those of other women who supported themselves through long-term relationships with clients. Worcester was filled with corset makers, at large factories and small shops where “corsetieres” made garments from scratch or as customized versions of mass-produced products. The Burnside and Slater Buildings on Main Street became hubs with fourteen corsetieres from wildly different backgrounds. Through the makers we learn about the garment itself—how it was made, worn, and sold to the American woman.

A deep dive into the history of both a garment and a city, A Proper Fit is a fascinating visit to a once-thriving industry driven and supported by thousands of women in a city of innovation, diversity, access, and opportunity. 

Anne Marie Murphy, previously lived in Milford and served on the Board of Library Trustees. She founded Eastern Script in 1993, the first script clearance house to exist outside of Los Angeles County. Eastern Script maintains offices in Worcester, MA, and Kingston, Ontario. 

This event is free and open to all. Copies of the A Proper Fit and the adult coloring book Amazing Women of Worcester will be available to purchase. 

Free Little Art Gallery: Open the Blue Door!

We’re now accepting your artwork in miniature for the Free Little Art Gallery (FLAG) located in the library garden. Simply bring your small drawing, painting, sculpture, and open the blue doors and add your artwork. You can take any art that appeals to you. In turn, your artwork may be taken. 

The FLAG is sponsored by the Milford Cultural Council. Sometimes the Council shares artwork from other towns, cities, and states as well. Questions? Please contact the council at  [email protected].

Mahjong @ MTL

A Mahjong group meets twice a month at the Milford Town Library. This group welcomes players familiar with Mahjong for enjoyment of the game, not for high stakes competition! The group meets on select Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. at the library in the Quarry Room.

Those who are interested can attend any of the meetings. Mahjong sets are provided. Questions? Please call the Information Desk at 508-473-2145 ext. 2. Mahjong Summer Meetings are Aug. 18, Sept. 1, Sept. 15 and Sept. 29. 

Milford Area Wordsmiths 

Looking for a quiet, dedicated time and place where you can write? Join the Milford Area Wordsmiths writers' group! We provide a safe place for adults (18+) to write and even share your work if you desire. All levels and genres are welcome, from first-time writers to published authors. 

The group meets the first and third Monday of each month (except holidays) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Drop-ins are welcome. For more information, please call 508-473-2145, ext. 2. Wordsmiths Summer Meetings are Aug. 17 and Sept. 21.

Plant a Seed, Read! Adult Summer Reading Program

The 2026 Adult Summer Reading Program will end Sept. 4. This year's theme is "Plant a Seed, Read" and we're gamifying our reading logs to help you have some fun, while exploring food, gardening, and stories that connect us to our local culture and history! Everyone who participates will win a prize, but the more you participate, the more tickets you will earn to put toward our "Plant a Seed, Read" prize drawings.

To join in, you can visit the Information Desk to pick up your "Milfordland" Garden Path Log, OR print the sheet from our website, www.milfordtownlibrary.org. If you have questions about the program, or if you need any help finding books to read, feel free to ask the Librarians at the Information Desk. You can also email [email protected] or call us at 508-473-2145 Option 2.

This program is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Milford Town Library, and supported by our friends at Blooming Hearts Roastery, Kelly's Farm, and the UxLocale!

Ongoing:

The Friends Bookstore and Book Table are replenished weekly. Find your next summer read at bargain prices.

Community Puzzles are always in progress in the adult reading area. MTL is a drop-off location for the Daily Bread Food Pantry. Bring your donations to the blue bin located by the Friends Book Table.