The Dillsboro Public Library Marks a New Chapter

Submitted by Jamie Haney, Library Assistant at the Aurora Public Library District

In 1994, 120 people crowded into a Dillsboro town council meeting with a single idea on their minds: their community deserved a public library. It was the kind of turnout that makes a town council take notice. Through a combination of fundraising and plain old elbow grease, those residents turned that idea into reality, and in 1997, the Dillsboro Public Library opened its doors as a branch of the Aurora Public Library District.

The early days tell you everything about how much the community wanted it. In a letter to the editor of The Journal-Press that summer, then-director Mary Alice Horton thanked a remarkable roster of supporters. County commissioners, the town council, the library committee, and the Southeastern Indiana Regional Planning Commission had all played a part. So had dozens of individual volunteers who gave their time and energy, along with local businesses, churches, civic clubs, and organizations across Dillsboro that pitched in with contributions and special attention to the project. During its very first two weeks of service, the staff issued 103 new library cards and assisted 643 patrons. Horton called it a first-class library facility and wrote that it was exciting to see the fruits of so much shared effort.

Nearly three decades later, the community is gathering again, this time to celebrate how far that little library has come. On June 20th, the Aurora Public Library District will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Dillsboro Public Library to mark the completion of a major building project. Renovations began in April of 2025 and reimagined the space from top to bottom.

The expanded library now includes two new private study spaces and two large meeting rooms, a reading room with a cozy fireplace, and an outdoor seating and play area. There is a bigger children's room, a dedicated space for teens, additional restrooms, and updated display shelving in the Local History Room. The project even added a garage for an incoming bookmobile, extending the library's reach beyond its own walls.

True to its roots, the ceremony will be a community affair. Jeanne Kinnett will sing the National Anthem, while Doug Baker and Tim Benning raise the flag. Hunter and Lincoln Fox will help with the ribbon cutting, and local author Ron Nicholson will share a poetry reading. Library Board President Ben Turner and Library Director Leslie Sutherlin will both speak about the renovation process and what it means for the years ahead.

From 120 determined residents in a town hall to a fully reimagined facility with room to grow, the Dillsboro Public Library remains exactly what its founders hoped it would be: a place built by the community, for the community.

The library invites everyone to come check out the new space and pick up a limited-edition Dillsboro Library card while supplies last. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Beginning in July, the library will extend its hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 8 p.m.