Now is your chance to get a Library for
villages and townships together.

The Clermont Courier, March 8, 1911.

Last Friday, a representative from Columbus, in the interest of public libraries to be assisted by the Carnegie fund, (Ed. note: The Carnegie Foundation, was well known for funding public libraries at this time. The Georgetown, Ohio library is one beautiful nearby example.) which she tells us that ten times as much will be donated for the erection of a building and the purchase of books as the home people can raise.

It is in the power of the Board of Education, both township and district, to levy 1/2 mill each for such purpose. No doubt it would be sufficient, and receive ten times as much from the fund alone....This money would not be obtained until one year hence, for the levy would have to be made in this April, and it would be about twelve months before we would get moneys on it. But steps should be taken to secure this fine offer. After the building was erected and the library established, 1/2 mill each year would take care of it. Help push a good thing along. The representative will meet with the Woman's Club on Saturday and explain the matter more fully.

(Of course, this never materialized. Clermont County was the last county in Ohio to fund a public library, in 1955, 44 years later. At that, it was a struggle. In 1948, voters approved funding for a library system, via the Intangible Personal Property Tax. A Library board was organized. But the Clermont County Budget Commission repeatedly refused to approve the library's budget, even though the money existed! Eventually, the Library Board sought help from the Ohio Board of Tax Appeal, and won suit.

So in 1955, the CCPL had enough money to start a "bookmobile", which made 28 "adult" stops plus serviced 10 schools. In 1959 (11 years after voter approval) the Milford Branch Library opened as the first County Library, at 19 Water Street. It had been a privately funded library since 1909, but open to the public.