Form 990 for tax year 2024

Totals

Total revenue

$5,035,311

Total expenses

$5,156,562

Contributions and grants received

$4,428,179

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$226,326

Investment income

$75,418

Other revenue

$305,388

Total assets, end of year

$51,014,790

Total liabilities, end of year

$2,039,935

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$48,974,855

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$3,791,060

Management and general expenses

$1,046,782

Fundraising expenses

$318,720

Program service expenses (Part III)

$3,791,060

Program services were 73.5% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2024

• NEW CANAAN LIBRARY IS THE COMMUNITY'S PLATFORM FOR LIFELONG LEARNING, AND PROVIDES EXPANSIVE COLLECTIONS OF BOTH PRINT AND DIGITAL CONTENT. IT ALSO PROVIDES AN ARRAY OF SUBSCRIPTION RESEARCH DATABASES AND MUSEUM PASSES. THESE COLLECTIONS SERVE TO REFLECT AND ANTICIPATE THE COMMUNITY'S INTERESTS, ALLOWING FOR BOTH CURSORY AND DEEP EXPLORATIONS OF IDEAS AND CONCEPTS. THE COLLECTIONS SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY'S PURSUIT OF SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING, CULTURAL APPRECIATION, AND RECREATIONAL EXPERIENCES. A PROFESSIONAL TEAM ACTIVELY MANAGES THE COLLECTIONS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE FRESH AND THAT THEY MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE. IN LINE WITH OUR VALUES, OUR COLLECTIONS ARE BROAD, DIVERSE, AND INCLUSIVE AND OUR LENDING AND OTHER POLICIES AIM TO ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS FOR ALL. OUR CURRENT COLLECTION OF PRINT MATERIALS INCLUDES 37,698 BOOKS FOR ADULTS, 37,204 FOR CHILDREN, AND 3369 FOR TEENS. OUR AUDIO-VISUAL COLLECTION CONTAINS 4899 ITEMS FOR ADULTS AND TEENS AND 1694 ITEMS FOR CHILDREN. TO PROVIDE DIGITAL CONTENT, WE DIRECTLY PURCHASE AND MAKE AVAILABLE 15,357 TITLES (16,859 COPIES) OF EBOOKS AND EAUDIOBOOKS. ADDITIONALLY, WE PROVIDE OUR MEMBERS FREE ACCESS TO A VAST AMOUNT DIGITAL CONTENT THROUGH CONCURRENT PAY-PER-USE SUBSCRIPTION PLATFORMS SERVING UP A VARIETY OF E-CONTENT (BOOKS, MAGAZINES, STREAMING MEDIA) THAT NUMBERS IN MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS AND GROWS AND CHANGES CONTINUALLY. IN FY 2025, OUR OVERALL CIRCULATION INCREASED YEAR-OVER-YEAR BY 4.1%, WITH PRINT BOOK CIRCULATION UP 5.4% AND DIGITAL BORROWING UP OVER 1.4%. WE CONTINUE TO SEE A DECLINE IN THE USE OF PHYSICAL DVDS AND BOOKS ON CD IN LINE WITH EXPECTATIONS AS THESE FORMATS ARE SUPERSEDED BY STREAMING MEDIA.

  Expenses $1,386,539 · Revenue $17,642

• LEARNING PROGRAMSADULTSAS THE COMMUNITY'S PLATFORM FOR LIFELONG LEARNING, THE LIBRARY PROVIDES PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE CREATIVITY AND CURIOSITY OF OUR YOUTH AND ADULT POPULATIONS. WE STRIVE TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE OUR COMMUNITY'S PURSUIT OF LIFELONG LEARNING THROUGH THOUGHTFUL AND VARIED PROGRAMS CURATED BY OUR PROFESSIONAL TEAM, DESIGNED TO ENSURE THAT MANY DIFFERENT STYLES OF LEARNING ARE AVAILABLE INCLUDING LECTURES, WORKSHOPS, CLASSES, HANDS-ON, DISCUSSION GROUPS AND MORE.NEW CANAAN LIBRARY OFFERED 727 TOTAL PROGRAMS AND CLASSES TO OUR ADULT COMMUNITY IN FY 2025. 20,031 INDIVIDUALS ATTENDED THESE PROGRAMS. OF PARTICULAR NOTE:- WE WELCOMED HIGH PROFILE SPEAKERS SUCH AS AMBASSADOR JOHN SULLIVAN, SEBASTIAN SMEE, CARL SAFINA, EMILY RUBINFELD, ED BURNS, BROOKE SHIELDS, NAOMI WATTS, AND MORE TO CAPACITY AUDIENCES OF 300 EACH- WE FOSTERED PARTNERSHIPS WITH MANY TOWN NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, COSPONSORING MANY COMMUNITY PROGRAMS WITH A VARIETY OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS- WE HAVE BROUGHT AN ARRAY OF INTRODUCTORY, HANDS-ON ARTS CLASSES FOR ADULTS, WHICH HAVE PROVEN IMMENSELY POPULAR AND HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER- WE ACTIVATED PROGRAMMING ON THE LIBRARY GREEN, INCLUDING DANCE PERFORMANCES WITH NEAD AND OUR SECOND ANNUAL GROOVE ON THE GREEN MUSIC CELEBRATION THAT BROUGHT 900 PEOPLE- WE IMPLEMENTED NEW INSTRUCTIONAL COURSES TO INCREASE TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY, COVERING TOPICS SUCH AS MICROSOFT OFFICE, GOOGLE SUITE, AND CANVA- WE INSTITUTED SEVERAL LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION AND CONVERSATIONAL CLASSES IN FRENCH, SPANISH, AND ESL- WE RAN SIX LIBRARIAN-LED BOOK GROUPS PER MONTH AS WELL AS SUPPORTED OVER 20 PRIVATE BOOK GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITYCHILDRENOUR LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN 0-12 ARE PROFESSIONALLY DEVELOPED AND DELIVERED AS PART OF A CURRICULUM OF LITERACY DEVELOPMENT THAT INCLUDES DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE, SCAFFOLDED LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN FROM 6 MONTHS - FIVE YEARS AND THEN FURTHER AGE APPROPRIATE LITERACY DEVELOPMENT FOR OLDER CHILDREN WITH BOOK GROUPS AND A SUMMER READING PROGRAM WHICH IS BOTH WILDLY POPULAR AMONG OUR FAMILIES AND ENSURES THAT STUDENTS IN OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS DO NOT LOSE GROUND ON THEIR READING COMPREHENSION DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. IN ADDITION TO LITERACY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMING, WE ALSO OFFER A BREADTH OF OTHER LEARNING AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS ON TOPICS INCLUDING MATH, SCIENCE, CREATIVE WRITING, STEAM PROGRAMMING, AS WELL AS STRONG ARTS PROGRAMMING WITH MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS, AND MUCH MORE.DURING FY 25 OUR CHILDREN'S TEAM DELIVERED 893 LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN WITH 34,618 ATTENDEES. HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR PROGRAMMING FOR FAMILIES INCLUDE: - 1,117 CHILDREN AND TEENS PARTICIPATED IN OUR SUMMER READING PROGRAM IN THE SUMMER OF 2024- WE WELCOMED BELOVED CHILDREN'S AUTHORS INCLUDING JAN BRETT, DAN GUTMAN, ALAN KATZ, LAUREN TARSHIS, AND MORE TO FULL AND ENTHUSIASTIC CROWDS.- WE CONDUCTED PROGRAMS IN COORDINATION WITH OUR MULTICULTURAL PARENTS COMMITTEE TO EDUCATE AND INFORM COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT VARIOUS CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS AND TRADITIONS INCLUDING DIWALI, HANUKKAH, RAMADAN, LUNAR NEW YEAR, AND MORE - WE CONTINUED TO SUPPORT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES, INCLUDING A MONTHLY PARENTING MEET-UP AND A REGULAR ROTATION OF ADAPTIVE PROGRAMS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE NEEDS OF THIS DEMOGRAPHIC- OUR PROFESSIONAL LIBRARIANS CONDUCTED 10 WEEKLY STORYTIMES FOR AGES BIRTH - FIVE, SERVING WELL OVER 500 CHILDREN AND PARENTS PER WEEK FOR STORYTIMES ALONE. TEENSOUR PROGRAMMING FOR TEENS IS PRIMARILY CONDUCTED BY OUR TEEN SERVICES LIBRARIAN AND OUR TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION COORDINATOR, WHO DEVISE PROGRAMS THAT ARE RESPONSIVE TO AND INFORMED BY THE PARTICULAR NEEDS OF THE TEEN DEMOGRAPHIC. DURING FY 25 OUR TEAM DELIVERED 186 LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR TEENS WITH 1787 ATTENDEES. HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR PROGRAMMING FOR TEENS INCLUDE: - POPULAR AND DEVOTED RECURRING PROGRAMS FOR TEENS INCLUDE D&D/ROLE-PLAYING SESSIONS, PAINTING AND VISUAL ARTS INSTRUCTION, COOKING AND BAKING CLASSES, KNITTING, SEWING AND CROCHET, AND CODING AND ENGINEERING CHALLENGES IN OUR MAKERLAB, AND MORE.- STRESSED OUT TEENS APPRECIATED OUR STUDY BUNNY BREAK DURING MIDTERMS - DOZENS OF APPRECIATIVE TEENS ENJOYED HOLDING FURRY FRIENDS TO REDUCE THEIR STRESS LEVELS DURING EXAM TIME.- TEEN VOLUNTEERS ALSO CREATE AND RUN THEIR OWN PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN. THESE HAVE BEEN DEVISED TO INCLUDE ART INSTRUCTION, MATH BUDDIES, FINANCE, DEBATE, TECHNOLOGY, CHESS, CROCHET, AND MORE, TO DRAW ON THE TEENS' EXPERTISE AND INTEREST, SO THAT TEENS CAN CONNECT WITH AND INSPIRE LOCAL CHILDREN WHILE GROWING THEMSELVES AND GAINING VALUABLE EXPERIENCE- THIS FISCAL YEAR, 151 TEENS PARTICIPATED IN OUR TEEN VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, DONATING MORE THAN 2,025 HOURS OF THEIR TIME.

  Expenses $1,875,460 · Revenue $63,098

• SPACE OFFERINGSPROVIDING A VARIETY OF ACCESSIBLE SPACES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS FROM OUR COMMUNITY TO MEET AND WORK IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR OFFERINGS. OUR COMMUNITY IS ENRICHED BY A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF VOLUNTEERISM AND PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY INTEREST GROUPS AND NONPROFITS. THE LIBRARY'S PROVISION OF MEETING SPACES FOR THE BOARD MEETINGS AND COMMITTEE WORK OF THESE GROUPS IS CRITICAL TO OUR ROLE AS AN ANCHOR INSTITUTION IN THE TOWN. OUR NINE MEETING ROOMS PLUS ADDITIONAL LARGE-SCALE CONFERENCE SPACES ARE SOME OF OUR MOST WELL-USED RESOURCES; IN FY25, OVER 11,000 NON-LIBRARY AFFILIATED MEETINGS OCCURRED IN ONE OF OUR MEETING ROOMS. ADDITIONALLY, INFORMAL SPACE TO WORK, READ, AND RESEARCH FOR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS FOR ALL AGES IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE LIBRARY'S UNIQUE ROLE AS PROVIDER OF INCLUSIVE, ACCESSIBLE SPACES. LIBRARY SPACES ARE OF COURSE ALSO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING NOT ONLY OUR COLLECTIONS BUT ALSO THE VENUES FOR OUR PROGRAM AND SERVICE DELIVERY. IN ADDITION, OUR LIBRARY GREEN ADDS ADDITIONAL OUTDOOR SEATING, PROGRAM, AND MEETING SPACE FOR THE COMMUNITY.TO MAINTAIN CLEAN WELL-FUNCTIONING SPACE REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT MONETARY AND HUMAN RESOURCE. OUR NEW BUILDING HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO BE EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE, HOWEVER ENERGY DELIVERY COSTS CONTINUE TO RISE EVEN AS OUR USAGE DECREASES. OUR BUILDING CONTINUES ALSO TO BE EXTREMELY POPULAR WITH THE COMMUNITY WITH A DOOR COUNT INCREASE OF OVER 70% FROM OUR PRE-CONSTRUCTION/PRE-PANDEMIC HEIGHTS, AND CONSEQUENTLY SEES MORE WEAR AND TEAR FROM USAGE AND REQUIRES MORE ATTENTION TO CLEANING AND UPKEEP.

  Expenses $529,061 · Revenue $40,167

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2024

Filed

13 November 2025

IRS schema version

2024v5.2

Source object

202533189349300033

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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