Our Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Chemung County Library District to provide exceptional public library services and programs to our citizens — fulfilling their individual needs for educational, recreational, and cultural information — through contemporary, well-maintained library collections and facilities located throughout Chemung County.
About the Library
The Chemung County Library District is made up of neighborhood libraries in the communities of Big Flats, Elmira, Horseheads, Van Etten, and West Elmira. Our Bookmobile provides mobile library access throughout Chemung County.
Library users have access to print materials available at the libraries and digital resources available through our website, covering a range of topics for entertainment and education. Our libraries also host programs and events for all age groups and serve as locations for the community to access technology, do research, find help, and much more.
Library History
The Steele Memorial Library opened in 1899 at Lake & Market Streets, then the heart of Elmira. By the 1920s, the city expanded westward, prompting Andrew Carnegie's donation for a new library on Church St., now the Chemung County Chamber of Commerce. Though Library use was initially restricted to City of Elmira residents, efforts led by a committee consisting of Mrs. George M. Diven, M.D. Thomspon, and Librarian Kate Dean Andrew in the early 1920s secured county-wide access. By 1923, under Librarian Mary Stark, a county library system launched, including deposit stations across the smaller communities in Chemung County, rotating books every 3 months.
These stations, active until 1950, preceded official branches in Southside (1940) and Elmira Heights (1950). A Bookmobile replaced remaining stations in 1950, carrying up to 3,000 books. The Horseheads Free Library (1944) aligned with Steele Memorial in 1958; Van Etten followed in 1968. In 1979, a new Steele Memorial Library opened at Church and Clemens Center, with a 1999-2001 renovation updating its color scheme to red and blue.
Facing county budget cuts in 2003, Elmira Heights and Southside branches closed. Trustees from the Steele Memorial and Horseheads Free Libraries pursued a special library district, separating funding from county to voter approval. Approved in 2005, the District is overseen by elected board members from 15 districts. State funding in 2009 facilitated a green roof for Steele Memorial Library, reducing stormwater runoff.
Library Blog
History of Public Library Service in Horseheads, NY, Part One—The Beginning
It was the spring of 1944. The world was at war. Freedom hung in the balance.
History of Public Library Service in Horseheads, NY Part 2—the Nomadic Years
The Postwar years brought a population boom to Horseheads, NY and 4 different addresses for the Horseheads Library in 18 years. According to the 1940 United States Federal Census, the Town of Horseheads had a population of 8,804.