Gates Public Library

What Gates Public Library does

Gates Public Library is a municipal public library located at 902 Elmgrove Road in Rochester, New York, serving the Town of Gates community as a member of the Monroe County Library System (MCLS). Founded in 1961 and governed by a Board of Trustees, the library operates a single physical branch with 28 employees and offers traditional borrowing services alongside digital lending through OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, and Kanopy, as well as public computer stations, free WiFi, document services, and reference support.

The library's product portfolio extends beyond conventional lending into differentiated offerings including a 3D Printing Virtual Makerspace using a Bambu Lab X1C printer, a Seed Library, Video Game Collection (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One), STEAM to Go Kits, Hands-Only CPR Kits, and a Dyslexia-Friendly Collection. Specialized services include Local History & Genealogy research with on-site Ancestry.com access, exam proctoring, notary services, mobile printing via Princh, and museum and park pass programs (VIP and Empire Passes) covering 13+ Rochester-area institutions. Programming is structured around Children's, Teen & Tween, and Adult departments, with targeted outreach to homeschool families.

The funding model is tax-supported public service delivery rather than commercial revenue generation. Library cards are free to residents, and nominal fees are charged only for ancillary services — printing (20¢ B&W, $1 color per side), faxing ($1/page), 3D printing ($0.10/gram), and interlibrary loan ($5/request). Friends of the Library memberships ($5–$100) and PayPal-enabled donations provide supplementary support. Distribution occurs through physical branch access, curbside pickup, the MCLS network, and digital channels, with marketing via a website, weekly and monthly newsletters, Facebook, LibCal calendar, and community partnerships.

Name

Gates Public Library

Legal name

Gates Public Library

Website

https://gateslibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gates Public Library is a tax-funded municipal library in Rochester, New York serving Town of Gates residents through physical and digital lending, public computer access, 3D printing, local history collections, and community programming as part of the Monroe County Library System.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community lending programs
• Digital media access
• Reference and research
• Educational programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester, New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gates Public Library is a municipal public library serving the Town of Gates, NY that lends physical and digital materials, provides free public computing and WiFi, and operates community programs. It delivers reference, genealogy, and educational services through a single physical branch and online catalog, supplemented by specialized offerings such as 3D printing, museum passes, and unique lending collections including seeds, STEAM kits, and CPR training kits.

Product overview

Gates Public Library operates as a public library system offering a unified suite of physical and digital services centered around its physical branch at 902 Elmgrove Road, Rochester, NY. The core offering includes traditional borrowing services (books, media, video games) alongside digital lending through OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, and Kanopy, supplemented by research databases, computer and technology services, and 3D printing. The library differentiates through unique collections including a Seed Library, STEAM to Go Kits, Hands-Only CPR Kits, and a Video Game Collection. Key services span document services (notary, copying, faxing, printing), Local History & Genealogy resources, exam proctoring, meeting room reservations, and museum pass programs. The product portfolio functions as a single integrated service offering rather than separate modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Computer & Technology Services Public computers running Windows 11 with Microsoft Office, free building-wide WiFi, digital literacy tutoring, and technology help sessions for library patrons.
• 3D Printing Virtual Makerspace 3D printing service using a Bambu Lab X1C printer with AMS for multi-color prints up to 9.3 inches, charged at $0.10 per gram, with operations live-streamed on Twitch.
• OverDrive/Libby Digital Collection Digital lending platform providing access to tens of thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, music, and videos through the MCLS Libby catalog.
• Hoopla Digital Service Streaming and download service offering eBooks, audiobooks, movies, TV shows, music albums, graphic novels, and e-magazines. Limited to Gates residents with 4 titles per month.
• Kanopy Streaming Video Streaming video service featuring movies, documentaries, world cinema, and TV series. Gates patrons receive 10 tickets per month; Kanopy Kids is unlimited.
• Research Databases Subscription databases covering academic research, genealogy, health, newspapers, business, legal, career, test preparation, and educational resources for children and teens.
• Mobile Printing Patrons can print from personal devices by emailing to [email protected] or using the Princh mobile printing portal, with black and white at 20 cents per side and color at $1 per side.
• Document Services Includes notary public services (free), copying, faxing ($1 per page with 20-page limit and $10 maximum), and scanning (free), with tax forms and resources also provided.
• Local History & Genealogy Service Collections on Gates and Rochester history including books, maps, photos, and access to Ancestry.com (onsite) and other genealogy databases, with weekly genealogy help sessions.
• Seed Library Free seed borrowing program allowing patrons to take seeds without a library card, with a request to return saved seeds after harvest.
• Video Game Collection Video game collection for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and more, with checkout limited to 2 games for 3 weeks.
• STEAM to Go Kits Hands-on educational kits for checkout covering topics including dinosaurs, building and design, construction, outdoor exploration, letters and numbers, and yoga for mindfulness.
• Hands-Only CPR Kits Training kits available for checkout containing inflatable manikins and laminated instruction sheets, developed through partnership with the American Heart Association and UR Medicine.
• Exam Proctoring Limited exam proctoring service for students requiring advance scheduling 1-2 weeks ahead, with study room reservations available.
• WiFi Hotspot Lending 5 T-Mobile INSEEGO WiFi hotspots available for checkout, circulating for 3 weeks and not sent to fill holds.
• VIP & Empire Passes Museum and cultural pass program allowing patrons to borrow passes for discounted access to 13 local museums and New York State parks.
• Museum & Park Passes Program Free or discounted admissions including Empire Passes for state parks and VIP Pass Program for Rochester and Monroe County arts and cultural venues.
• Meeting Room Rental Meeting rooms available for reservation through the library's LibCal booking system for community group use.
• Book Discussion Kits Over 30 book discussion kits available for checkout, each containing 8-9 copies of a single title with discussion guides for starting community book clubs.
• Interlibrary Loan Service Service allowing MCLS cardholders to borrow materials not owned by the system from other libraries for $5 per request.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Gates Public Library enrolled in the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP) in June 2025 to commit to the Triple Bottom Line of environmental stewardship, economic feasibility, and social equity. The certification process involves sustainability surveys, energy audits, policy development, and staff education.
• VIP Pass Partnering Museums & Cultural InstitutionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor13 Rochester-area museums and cultural institutions participate in the VIP Pass program including George Eastman Museum, Geva Theatre, Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester Museum & Science Center, and others, providing discounted or free access to library cardholders.
• OverDrive (Libby)coreTechnology or IntegrationDigital content platform providing access to ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, music, and videos through the Libby app. Part of the Monroe County Library System digital collection.
• HooplacoreTechnology or IntegrationStreaming and download service offering ebooks, audiobooks, movies, TV shows, music albums, graphic novels, and e-magazines. Available to Gates residents only, limited to 4 titles per month.
• American Heart Association, UR Medicine, Monroe County Library SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide Hands-Only CPR training kits available for checkout at Monroe County libraries, enabling residents to learn life-saving skills at home.
• Gates Historical Society & Hinchey HomesteadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit organization founded in 1999 dedicated to collecting and preserving Gates history, located at 634 Hinchey Road. Partners with library on local history resources and programming.
• Town of Gates HistorianminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTown Historian William Gillette preserves historic town information for reference and future generations, documenting buildings, land use, commercial development, and population growth.
• New York State Libraries (Brooklyn, Buffalo, NYPL, Queens)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital borrowing partnerships allowing New York State residents to create free library accounts for Libby, Hoopla, and Kanopy access from Brooklyn Public Library, Buffalo & Erie County Public Libraries, NYPL, and Queens Public Library.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• OverDrive: Digital content platform that powers Gates' Libby ebook/audiobook/streaming catalog. Comparable in that it delivers library-patron-facing digital lending experiences and competes in the public-library digital services space where Gates operates, though OverDrive is a vendor/technology layer rather than an in-library operator.
• Gates Historical Society: Local 501(c)(3) partner organization that co-curates local history with Gates Public Library (Hinchey Homestead, 50 years of Gates-Chili newspaper archives). Comparable as a niche local-history/heritage-information provider operating in the same Gates community, though focused on physical preservation rather than active library services.

Broad incumbents

• New York Public Library: Large urban public library system that Gates partners with for cross-state digital borrowing (Brooklyn, Buffalo, NYPL, Queens E-Cards). Comparable as a New York State public library offering digital lending, in-person programming, and community services, though at vastly larger scale and with different geographic scope.
• Brooklyn Public Library: Major New York State public library system that partners with Gates for cross-state digital card access via Libby/Hoopla/Kanopy. Comparable as a full-service public library offering similar borrowing, digital, and community programming, but operating at urban scale across multiple branches rather than a single suburban location.
• Monroe County Library System: Regional consortium that Gates belongs to, providing shared infrastructure (CatalogPlus union catalog, OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, interlibrary loan). Acts as the broader-incumbent layer whose strategic decisions shape the digital and operational capabilities available to Gates and every other MCLS member branch.

Regional players

• Pioneer Library System (NY): Federated library system serving rural and small-town libraries in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Comparable as a public library cooperative providing shared catalog, interlibrary loan, and digital content to member libraries, though operating in a different geographic region than Gates' Monroe County base.

Direct peers

• Rochester Public Library: Central public library of the Monroe County Library System serving Rochester, NY. Directly comparable as a municipal public library within the same MCLS cooperative (shared CatalogPlus, OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy), offering similar borrowing, digital, and community programming services to overlapping Monroe County patrons.
• Chili Public Library: Adjacent Monroe County suburb library and MCLS member. Closely comparable given geographic and demographic similarity to Gates (both serve Rochester suburbs in MCLS), with overlapping catalog, interlibrary loan, and digital content access; also serves patrons of the Gates-Chili school district referenced in Gates' local history archives.
• Brighton Memorial Library: Suburban Rochester public library and fellow MCLS member. Highly comparable as a same-system suburban Monroe County branch serving a similar demographic with parallel services (digital lending, computer access, community programs) under the shared CatalogPlus catalog and Interlibrary Loan network.

Others

• Sustainable Libraries Initiative: Certifying body (SLI/SLCP) that Gates enrolled with in June 2025 for its Triple Bottom Line sustainability certification. Adjacent ecosystem participant — not a competing library, but a peer in the sense that other libraries participating in SLI's certification cohort share Gates' sustainability framework, peer-learning community, and grant-eligibility pathway.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FriendsOfTheGatesPublicLibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gates-public-library

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gates Public Library