Buchanan Library asks New Canaan for $222,000 increase to reset baseline after surge in use

Ellen Corvado, CEO of the Buchanan Library, told New Canaan town liaisons and members of the Board of Finance on Feb. 6 that the library is seeking a $222,000 increase in town funding for the fiscal year 2026 operating budget to “reset our baseline” after a surge in visitorship since the new building opened. Corvado said the request is largely to fund a full-time custodial position, a part-time audio-visual technician and inflation-adjusted salary increases for existing staff.

The change matters because the library has seen far higher usage than planners expected in the new building, Corvado said. “We have around 1,600 people through our doors every day. Sometimes it’s as high as 1,800,” she said, adding that the institution has begun to outpace peer libraries in visits and fundraising. Corvado said roughly 70% of the library’s operating budget is salaries and compensation.

Town liaisons — Council members Hilary Ormond and Eric Thunum and Board of Finance member Chris Labrie — pressed library leaders for clearer budget charts and answers to a set of detailed questions the council sent in November, and asked for written responses well before formal budget votes. Ormond and Labrie said they plan to present the answers to the full Town Council before the budget decision and urged the library to tighten its presentation…