Author: Jess

Cortland Free Library budget vote will be May 19, 2026

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In conjunction with the Cortland City School District budget vote, the Cortland Free Library budget vote will take place on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. This is an important opportunity for you to participate in shaping the future of your local library and school district—two pillars of lifelong learning in our community.

Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Polling Locations:

  • City of Cortland, Cortlandville – 8 Valley View Drive (Cortland Jr-Sr High School)
  • Virgil, Lapeer, Harford, Dryden – 1176 Church St, Virgil (Virgil Town Hall)

As a public institution, Cortland Free Library is legally prohibited from advocating a “YES” vote on our budget. However, we strongly encourage all eligible voters to make their voices heard on this important matter. We believe that the many services, programs, and resources the library offers—free and open to all—speak volumes about our value to the Cortland community.

Whether it’s early literacy programs, computer and internet access, job search resources, book clubs, local history archives, or simply a welcoming space to read and learn, we strive every day to enrich lives and foster connection.

Learn more about our value to the community, funding, and more here.

Voting is civic engagement in action. Thank you for taking part and supporting the institutions that make Cortland stronger!

CFL Awarded $2,000 in State Funding

Jess News
We’re excited to share the news that Cortland Free Library has been awarded $2,000 in state funding and to express our gratitude to Senator Lea Webb and her staff for including our library in this allocation! We’re grateful for the recognition of the vital work libraries like ours do in our communities, and we’re proud to be included in such exceptional company, aka our peer libraries who are also recipients of this funding, all of them terrific and deserving institutions in their respective communities and service areas. In the video below, our Board of Trustees VP John Hoeschele joined other representatives from recipient libraries in expressing their thanks, touching upon likely uses for the funding, and the role libraries play in our communities.

CFL Awarded $601,750 in NYS Library Construction Aid

Jess News
CFL Library Director Jen Graney and NYS Senator Lea Webb standing on either side of a poster of Senator's Webb's District 52, which includes Cortland, Tompkins, and parts of Broome County.
CFL Library Director Jen Graney and NYS Senator Lea Webb with a depiction of District 52. Photo by Senator Webb’s office.

Cortland Free Library has been awarded $601,750 in NYS Library Construction Aid to fund the following projects:

  • Elevator Expansion/Reconfiguration: The elevator will be reconfigured to a three-opening unit with additional stops at the Art Gallery and Northwest Mezzanine, making these areas accessible for the first time to people in wheelchairs and others.

 

  • Main Reading Room HVAC System: This means air conditioning in the Main Reading Room! Those of you who have been here in the summer know that it sometimes hits 90 degrees in the stacks. With an eye towards energy efficiency, this new system will also help provide comfort and safety to staff, patrons, and our library materials.

 

  • New Spaces in the Main Reading Room: More exciting changes in the Main Reading Room include a build-out of the existing circulation desk and relocation to the center of the room; a dedicated Teen Space; a dedicated Community Room; a staff office partition; and a Makerspace to be added to the Northwest mezzanine!

 

  • Parapet Section Replacement: Southwest sections of the parapet are crumbling and allowing water seepage into the building; this replacement will help prevent future damage.

 

  • Permanent Exterior Sign: Highly visible, colorful permanent sign to be installed at the Northeast corner of the building.

Our thanks to Assemblymember Anna Kelles and Senator Lea Webb who announced the news of CFL and many other libraries in our region receiving this funding.

CFL will be responsible for matching up to 25% of the award. We’ve already begun planning for the project’s start, together with our Buildings & Grounds Committee (chaired by Myron Walter) and our architect Jon Carnes (Crawford & Stearns). We will also be working closely with the State Historic Preservation Office to ensure the work is aligned with the requirements and needs of our state-registered historic building. We expect this to be a multi-year project. Stay tuned as work gets underway!

These funds are from $34 million in capital funds for public library construction and broadband infrastructure projects provided in the FY2022-2023 State Budget. To view other projects that were funded and to learn more about the urgent need New York’s public libraries have for renovations and upgrades, visit https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/info/plcovrvw.htm