Gail Borden to celebrate 125 years with birthday party

If you talk to any person working in the Gail Borden Public Library District, they will have received email, letters and phone calls that start with, "Hi Gail."

Working in a library named "Gail Borden" certainly elicits unique responses. One of the first questions that staff members often answer is that Gail Borden was a man, not a woman.

It was 125 years ago that stepsons of Gail Borden, Alfred B. and Samuel M. Church, purchased the Scofield Mansion on Spring Street for $12,000 and donated it to the growing library district with the stipulation that it will always be known as the Gail Borden Public Library.

Everyone is invited to come meet "Gail Borden," who will make a special appearance from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. Learn more about the patent holder of condensed milk and owner the Elgin Milk Condensing Company that opened in 1865 at Brook and North streets and operated through 1919.

Join in celebrating 125 years of a library with a unique name continuing to serve a growing and thriving community.

From serving approximately 19,000 people with a collection of 14,000 books in 1894, the library district now serves approximately 150,000 residents with a collection of books, eBooks, movies, software, databases, programs, exhibits and more.

Along the way, the library district has been honored many times because it "is fueled by the power of community."

The synergy between this community and this library district has even resulted in being recognized with the nation's highest honor for a library, the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.

There will be a fun trivia contest and refreshments.

For information, visit www.gailborden.info.