Seymour Library

What Seymour Library does

Seymour Library is a public library district legally organized under New York law and serving the City of Auburn and the towns of Owasco, Fleming, and Sennett in Cayuga County, New York. The library traces its origin to an 1876 bequest by local banker James Seymour, opened in 1878, transitioned to free public access in 1895, and has operated from the historic Case Memorial building, a Beaux-Arts structure designed by Carrere and Hastings and opened in 1903, for over a century; it is currently observing its sesquicentennial. It delivers free lending collections, digital resources, educational and cultural programming, and community gathering space to all district residents with a library card.

The library's core product surface combines physical lending (books, Library of Things, Seed Library) with digital lending through the Finger Lakes Library System consortium, providing shared catalog access (Polaris) and integrations with OverDrive/Libby for eBooks and eAudiobooks, Hoopla and Kanopy for streaming media, RBdigital for magazines, and databases including Mango Languages, Universal Class, HeritageQuest, NoveList, and JobNow. Programs span children's storytimes, the annual Discover Summer reading program, multiple book clubs, author talks, music performances, oral history collection, and the Auburn HistoryForge volunteer research project.

The business model is nonprofit public-sector: the library is funded primarily through a property tax levy on real property within the district ($1,095,413 raised this way against a $1,139,713 2026 operating budget), supplemented by grants (Institute of Museum and Library Services; Fred M. and Ora H. Everett Charitable Trust), donations, and fundraising by the Friends of Seymour Library. All services are provided free of charge to district cardholders, distribution is through a single physical location plus digital channels, and there is no commercial monetization or venture funding involved.

Name

Seymour Library

Legal name

Seymour Public Library District

Website

https://seymourlibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Seymour Library is a nonprofit public library district in Auburn, New York, serving residents of Auburn, Owasco, Fleming, and Sennett. It provides free physical and digital lending collections, educational programs, book clubs, and community events, funded primarily through a property tax levy and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community programming
• Digital lending
• Genealogy research
• Children's literacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

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, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Library Funding: Seymour Public Library District is funded primarily through property taxes levied against real property within the district. The 2026 budget was approved at $1,139,713, with $1,095,413 raised through property taxation. Additional funding comes from grants, donations, and the Friends of Seymour Library organization.
2. Grant Funding: The library receives grant funding from organizations such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services (Grant ARPML-250550-OMLS-22) and the Fred M. Everett and Ora H. Everett Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Seymour Library is a public library district that provides free access to physical and digital library collections, including books, audiobooks, DVDs, video games, magazines, newspapers, music CDs, and streaming media. It serves district residents of all ages with educational programs, community events, local history and genealogy research resources, public computing, and 3D printing services.

Product overview

Seymour Library is a public library system serving Auburn, NY and surrounding communities, operating as a single-location library with a unified service model rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The library's core offerings center on physical and digital lending services, including books, materials, eBooks, eAudiobooks, magazines, and streaming media through integrated platforms like OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, and Kanopy. Supporting collections include the Library of Things (non-traditional lending items) and Seed Library (gardening seeds). The library provides programming for all ages including children's storytimes, Discover Summer reading programs, book clubs (Coffee and Crime, Tea and Tales, Read More, and others), author talks, and music performances. Research services encompass genealogy, local history, and oral history collections. Digital resources accessible with library cards include Mango Languages (language learning), Universal Class (online courses), HeritageQuest (genealogy), and JobNow (career services).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Library Membership (Library Card) Free library card granting district residents full access to physical and digital collections, programs, and library services; non-residents may purchase memberships.
• Physical Collection Lending Borrowing of physical items including adult fiction, large print books, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, Blu-rays, music CDs, and video games for library members.
• Digital Lending and Streaming Access to ebooks, audiobooks, streaming video, and digital content via Libby/OverDrive, Hoopla, and Kanopy for library members.
• Local History and Genealogy Research Collection Access to historical collections spanning 50,000+ volumes, microfilm records, and archival materials documenting Auburn and Cayuga County history for genealogists, researchers, and local historians.
• 3D Printing Service 3D printing access available to library patrons for maker and prototyping projects.
• Public Computer and Internet Access Public-use computers and Wi-Fi access provided inside the library for district residents, job seekers, students, and visitors.
• Language Learning (Mango Languages) Online language learning platform access through Mango Languages for library members seeking to study new languages.
• Interlibrary Loan Service Borrowing of materials from other libraries via the interlibrary loan network when items are not available in Seymour Library's own collection.
• Children's Library Programs Storytimes, crafts, and family events designed for young children and caregivers in the children's library area.
• Teen Programs Teen-focused programming including book clubs, Dungeons & Dragons groups, and creative writing workshops, delivered in partnership with the YMCA and East Hill.
• Adult Programs and Events Adult-focused programming such as author talks, book clubs, and workshops, delivered with partners including the Cayuga Museum and the Skaneateles Festival.
• Seed Library Seed lending collection allowing patrons to borrow seeds for home gardening and food growing.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• East Hill Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Healing & Hardcovers book club, focusing on mental health-related topics including wellness and self-care. Jessica Charbonneau, a licensed clinical social worker, facilitates discussions. This partnership integrates healthcare and library services to support community wellness.
• YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Thriller Thursday Walking Club, where participants read thrillers and then walk around Fort Hill Cemetery while discussing the books with library and YMCA representatives.
• Cayuga Museum of History & ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for the Terra String Quartet event held at the Cayuga Museum Carriage House Theater. Joint programming between the library and museum for cultural events.
• Skaneateles FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative presentation of the Terra String Quartet concert, a program presented by the Skaneateles Festival in collaboration with Seymour Library and the Cayuga Museum.
• Friends of Seymour LibrarycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupport organization that provides funding for library programs and events. Monthly meetings held at the library. Friends group supports Music in the Stacks series and other programming through fundraising and volunteer efforts.
• Finger Lakes Library SystemcoreTechnology or IntegrationRegional consortium providing shared catalog system (Polaris), interlibrary loan services, and digital platform access including OverDrive/Libby for digital collections.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cuyahoga County Public Library: Mid-size US public library system serving a similar multi-municipality population via property tax funding with comparable programming breadth. Regularly cited as a benchmark for modern public library operations of similar scale to Seymour.
• Onondaga County Public Library: Central New York public library system serving the Syracuse metropolitan area. Comparable upstate NY public library mission with similar funding mix (property tax + grants) and a comparable programming breadth across children, teens, and adults.

Regional players

• Finger Lakes Library System: Regional library consortium of which Seymour is a member; provides shared Polaris catalog, OverDrive/Libby access, and interlibrary loan across member libraries in the Finger Lakes region. Operates in the same geographic footprint and uses the same technology stack.
• North Country Library System: New York State regional library cooperative serving northern NY counties. Operates a similar consortium model to Finger Lakes Library System, providing shared digital and catalog infrastructure to member libraries.
• Mid-York Library System: Another New York State regional library cooperative serving multiple county members with shared catalogs and digital services. Highly comparable operating model and scale to the Finger Lakes Library System that supports Seymour.

Broad incumbents

• Brooklyn Public Library: One of three NYC public library systems, operating a much larger branch network with significantly greater budget. Provides a reference point for the upper bound of New York public library scale and programming breadth.
• Buffalo & Erie County Public Library: Large upstate New York public library system operating multiple branches across Erie County. Same state-level funding environment and governance framework as Seymour, but vastly larger scale and multi-branch footprint.
• New York Public Library: The largest New York public library system, serving Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island with a vast branch and research library network. Operates a similar public library mission but at massively greater scale and budget than Seymour.

Others

• OverDrive: Vendor of the digital lending platform (Libby/OverDrive) used by Seymour for ebooks and eaudiobooks. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, but materially shapes Seymour's digital service offering.
• Hoopla: Digital media streaming service offering movies, music, and audiobooks through library-card access. Used by Seymour as a third-party digital content provider; comparable adjacency role to OverDrive.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/seymourlibrary
• Facebookfacebook.com/SeymourLibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seymour-public-library-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Seymour Library