Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) is the public library for residents of

Tompkins County, New York Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,740. The county seat is Ithaca. The name is in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice President ...

. The library has one branch which is located in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

History

Tompkins County Public Library old building in 1987

Ithaca's first public library was founded by

Ezra Cornell Ezra Cornell (; January 11, 1807 – December 9, 1874) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University. He also served as President of the New York Agricul ...

as the Cornell Free Library and chartered by the New York State Legislature in 1864. Circulation began on March 4, 1867. It stood at the southeast corner of Seneca and Tioga streets from 1864 to 1960. Early classes and commencement of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

took place in the library. In 1967 the library was re-designated as the county's library when the county paid for the construction of a new $1.7 million building. This new building opened at 312 North Cayuga Street in February 1969. By the 1990s, the library had outgrown the space at North Cayuga Street. In November 2000, the library moved to a renovated former Woolworths

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

, which was double the size of the old building. This current building is located at the corner of Cayuga and Green Street ( New York Route 79) just south of the

Ithaca Commons The Ithaca Commons is a two-block pedestrian mall in the business improvement district known aDowntown Ithacathat serves as the city's cultural and economic center. The Commons is a popular regional destination, and is filled with upscale restaura ...

. In November 2010 the library celebrated ten years in the current building. The Library began celebration for its Sesquicentennial in 2014. As part of that celebration, a mural of founder Ezra Cornell was hung on the exterior wall of the library building in October 2016.

Description

The Library serves as the Central Library of the five-county

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional ...

Library System and provides free and equal access to residents of Tompkins, Cayuga, Cortland, Seneca, Schuyler and Tioga counties. TCPL hosts nearly one million visitors each year, making it the single, largest driver of traffic to downtown Ithaca. The library provides access to digital resources, including wireless internet access, databases and eBooks, as well as an extensive print collection. It also serves as the cultural hub of Tompkins County, providing museum quality art exhibits, opportunities for civic engagement and programs for children, teens and adults. The library's primary budget allocation comes from Tompkins County, with additional support from th
Tompkins County Public Library Foundation
and The Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library. In November 2014, The Tompkins County Public Library Foundation announced a $2.75 million Campaign for a 21st Century Library in support of the construction of a digital literacy lab, a teen center, collection expansion and endowment building. Another $1.4 million was granted in 2016 for the creation of a teen center and renovations to the interior. Part of the Campaign for a 21st Century Library is the LEGO Library, which was led by Peter and Andrew McCracken. It features a 6' by 6' model of the library post-renovation. Support from the Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library is funded by the Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library Booksale. One of the largest events of its type in the United States, the booksale draws thousands to an Esty Street warehouse each year in search of books, records, CDs and DVDs provided through community donations. The Tompkins County Public Library is a part of the eight-site Ithaca Discovery Trail.

Tompkins County Public Library reading area

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control Public libraries in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Ithaca, New York Education in Tompkins County, New York