Independence Township Library is preparing a new look inside and out. That doesn’t mean they’re getting rid of everything old, though.
Someone apparently thought it did, making off with the library’s original sign, a four-by-four-foot, dark wooden placard with yellow block lettering.
“We came in Tuesday after Labor Day and noticed the sign was moved,” said Julie Meredith, library director. “It took a while to realize it was missing. We were heartbroken.”
The sign stood in front of the library at its 1970 dedication, Meredith said.
“Over the years, we’ve had a number of offers from individuals wanting to purchase the sign, but it’s a piece of the community’s history,” she said.
“Our intention was to keep it and perhaps work it back into the landscaping or display it in some way in the future. The library continues to grow and move forward, but we don’t want to lose our connection to the past.”
Her hope is those who took the sign thought it was going to be thrown out.
“We’re hoping it was a misunderstanding,” she said. “We hope they realize they should not have taken it.”
Security video shows two women pulling up in a minivan and taking the sign. The video is not clear enough to make out details, according to police reports.
Meredith also asks the public to keep an eye out.
“If you see a sign that says ‘Independence Township Library,’ it still belongs to us ? please call the sheriff,” she said.
Call Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Independence Township Substation, at 248-620-4968, or Independence Township Library, 6495 Clarkston Road, at 248-625-2212.