While new interactive whiteboards, ceiling projectors, a computer graphics lab and a "green screen" were added to the renovated library, less technical _ but no less essential _ updates were given to the shelves, lighting, book collection and seating, said librarian Philip Durkin.

"Sometimes even the classics need to be updated," he said.

Durkin said the library’s collection was getting old and in need of an overhaul and he estimated that 20 percent had been weeded out and replaced during the renovation process.

He said the new lighting has made the library a much brighter place and a space reconfiguration has improved the overall flow of the library. New rocking-style chairs have been added and a carpeted tiered seating area for elementary school students was constructed, he said.

The conclusion of a three-year process to update and renovate the facility will be marked today with an open house from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7 p.m. said school grant writer and media specialist Lorre Gregory.

The project, called "Model for Small Rural School Library Media Centers," was funded by a $150,000 grant from the Florida-based Plan for Social Excellence Inc., Gregory said.

In addition to updating the basic presentation of the library, the added technological elements help a smaller school like Milford keep up with their metropolitan counterparts, she said.

"It allows us to keep up with all the new technology being used by students that would not typically be available for a small school," Gregory said.

The renovations cost approximately $100,000 and was part of a capital project approved by voters in 2005, superintendent Peter Livshin said. An additional $20,000 in state funding was secured through the offices of local state representatives State Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, and Assemblyman Bill Magee, D-Nelson.

In addition to the renovations, the grant allowed the school to hire a second librarian, improve the district website and improve collaboration between the library and school staff, Gregory said.