New Canaan Library's Mission:

Enrich the town's intellectual and cultural life by

providing free and convenient access to information,

fostering lifelong learning, and

encouraging the exchange of ideas.

The Library's Vision:

New Canaan Library's vision is to be the cornerstone of our community's intellectual and cultural life by:

• •  Providing free and convenient access to literature and information in its many formats, and serving as a forum for the exchange of ideas;
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• •  Presenting stimulating and diverse cultural events, including music, visual arts, author visits, performing arts and film;
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• •  Offering superior service in a welcoming, intellectually enriching and accessible environment;
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• •  Engaging every segment of the community – all ages, interests, needs and learning styles;
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• •  Respecting and valuing the contributions of staff, volunteers and donors;
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• •  Embracing technology that delivers cutting-edge resources for the 21 st century; and by
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• •  Managing this vital town asset in a fiscally responsible, flexible and environmentally sensitive way to ensure we meet the evolving needs and interests of our patrons while building on a tradition of respect for and enhancement of the mind, the spirit, and the community.

Library History

New Canaan Library has served as the town’s intellectual center since 1877, when it was founded by volunteers who contributed donated books and raised money to operate a reading room on Elm Street. In 1895, New Canaan Library became one of the first public-private partnerships with the town, when the latter gave the Library its first annual grant of $100. Recognizing the benefits of an excellent library for the residents and reputation of the Town, Albert Comstock and Jesse St. John made estate gifts to the Library.  With these legacy gifts, the Library moved from the Elm Street storefront and built its present building in 1913.  In the tradition of the original volunteers and Comstock and St. John, New Canaan residents continued to generously support the Library and its capital drives for the expansions in 1937, 1952, and again in 1979 with the addition of the Lapham Wing.  The ability to touch all generations of New Canaan residents by giving to the Library has inspired donors over the years to endow programs such as the Salant Lecture and collections like the Karen Grimes Collection of classic children’s books to encourage the lifelong love of learning. The spirit of philanthropy and support of the Library as a town treasure continues through gifts to the Annual Appeal, to the growing Patron Society, to the Library Endowment, for capital expenditures, and for the many programs and collections that make New Canaan Library great. [For More information on Giving]

Today the Library is home to more than 170,000 print and 20,000 audiovisual items, and 82% of town residents have a library card.  Over the last several years, people have brought home more than 500,000 items annually. Each day, almost 1200 patrons access many different resources New Canaan Library offers: a high-speed Internet connection on public access computers, stimulating programming, tools for finding employment, computer classes, homework help for their children, and books and movies for entertainment. 

New Canaan Library is also home to many special collections on various subjects, established to honor notable residents such as Eric Sevareid, Orville Prescott, and Chester B. Hansen.  It is also widely known for its Richard Salant and William Attwood Memorial Lectures, which bring well-known broadcasters, journalists and diplomats to the Library every year and its Literary Luncheon, which brings top authors to New Canaan.  In 2010, the Library brought the town together through its Summer Reading Club where the community studied World War II and the holocaust.  The Library continues to grow and evolve as New Canaan’s place for knowledge, collaboration, and community.
 

Library Polices

Library By-Laws

List of Current Library Trustees

Trustee Login