CCLD Proposed 2023 Budget Vote

On November 8, 2022, the Chemung County Library District will be asking voters to approve its proposed 2023 budget of: $3,398,615 (on the back of the general election ballot). Your continued support of the Chemung County Library District provides our patrons access from any of our 5 branches, our bookmobile, or remotely with a PC, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone to:

  1. Borrow Books, movies, magazines, newspapers, audio books, music CDs, video games, in traditional print and physical format as well electronic format using the Libby app or with a CCLD Library Card, Hoopla. In 2021 our collection use by patrons of Chemung County was 340,473 and 8% increase over 2020. In addition to these traditional items, at the Steele Memorial Library patrons can borrow, NYS Park passes, Wi-Fi hotspots (also available at the West Elmira Library), cake pans, board games, even garden seeds. The Starcat catalog can be accessed at https://starcat.stls.org.
  1. Attend a wide variety of programs for patrons of all ages in person and on some occasions via live stream. In 2021 our total program attendance was 29,149, a 25% increase from 2020. Click here to see our complete list of upcoming events.
  1. Research using our wide variety of online services that provide patrons access to newspapers, help composing resumes, test preparation, learning a new language, genealogy research and much more. See: https://ccld.lib.ny.us/databases/. In addition to our online research tools, the Steele Memorial Library has one of the most extensive genealogy collections in the Southern Tier. Click here for details.
  1. Access High speed internet using our public PCs or our free public Wi-Fi with your smartphone, tablet, or laptop at any of our CCLD branches.
  1. Ask an exceptionally knowledgeable and dedicated staff from our 5 branches and bookmobile providing assistance with research, finding the perfect book to read, or help with electronic devices. In 2021 library staffed answered 37,568 questions, a 46% increase from 2020. We also have an online form where you can send us questions. Click here to send a question to the E-Desk.
  1. Create in our Makerspace. Our Tinker Lab includes laser engravers, X-Carve CNC machine, Shaper Origin handheld CNC machine, button makers, sewing and embroidery machines, paints, Arduino and Raspberry Pi kits, Little Bits electronics kits, a dash robot, and more!, Our digital media lab contains equipment for audio and video recording/editing, slide and film scanning, green screen recording, podcasting, and more! It includes cameras, microphones, a green screen, and studio lights. Click here to find out more!

Return on Investment
The estimated value created by library services provided to the taxpayer of Chemung County in 2021 is almost 12.4 million dollars. In other words, for every tax dollar collected $3.42 of value was created in 2021.

Thank you in advance for your support on November 8th!

Owen Frank, Interim Director
Chemung County Library District