The Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) is the public library for residents of Tompkins County, New York. The library was originally founded by Ezra Cornell as the Cornell Free Library in 1864, one year prior to the establishment of Cornell University. In 1967 the library was recharged as the county's library when the county paid for the construction of a new $1.7 million building. The Library serves as the Central Library of the five-county Finger Lakes Library System and provides free and equal access to residents of Tompkins, Cayuga, Cortland, Seneca, Schuyler and Tioga counties.