New Canaan Library asks town for 3.5% operating increase, highlights programs and 1,000,000th cumulative visitor

Ellen Corvado, presenting on behalf of the New Canaan Library, told the Board of Finance and Town Council liaisons that the library is proposing a 3.5% operating budget increase — about $105,500 more than last year — driven largely by steady program demand and rising platform and software costs. She said the library’s town grant request is roughly $3,119,000 and that the town grant “is covering 94%” of salary costs.

Corvado highlighted service gains and community reach: “We’ve had 1,000,000 people through our door since we opened,” she said, and noted visitor traffic is up about 5% year over year. The presentation emphasized expanding children’s programming (now roughly 35 programs a year) and a wider slate of adult events that include high‑profile speakers secured through partnerships and fundraising.

Cheryl Capitani, identified in the presentation as the library director, detailed operational lines, saying the library had worked to keep overall expenses flat where possible while absorbing unavoidable increases like cybersecurity insurance and software platform shifts. She said the library now counts 44 employees in total (about 24 full‑time) and pegged a typical starting salary for a credentialed reference librarian at about $62,000.

On revenue, staff said fundraising drives remain central: the annual fund is a principal source, and the literary luncheon is their largest single fundraiser, responsible for roughly 20% of operating‑related revenue in event years. Corvado said the library’s fundraising and gifts approach aims to rebuild the endowment after large withdrawals when the legacy building moved; staff said the endowment currently stands at approximately $2.4 million and that the bylaws require $3 million before drawing on endowment principal per policy.

Cheryl also announced a policy change on fines: “We are working to add automatic renewals this year,” she said, which the library expects will reduce late fines and bring practices closer to the majority of Connecticut public libraries that are fine‑free. Staff clarified that lost‑material charges will remain in place.

The presentation addressed collection operations after an industry disruption: the main print vendor Baker & Taylor folded this year, but the library said it secured a secondary vendor and expects some short‑term platform fee savings. Library staff stressed that digital licensing practices remain unchanged for now, though they noted recent Connecticut legislation includes a trigger clause that may enable future negotiation on e‑book and e‑audiobook licensing terms.

The session concluded with liaison questions on meeting‑room turnover (staff said rooms see seven to nine turnovers daily and 50–60 meetings per day), parking coordination with the town, and a pledge to circulate any further budget or capital requests to the Board of Finance and Town Council in advance of formal hearings.