After years of struggling with budget constraints and cutbacks, the Bridgeport Public Library has been given a new lifeline.

Currently, out of every $1,000 tax dollars collected by the city, just $1 goes towards the library's operating budget. Officials say this is simply not enough funding.

City Librarian Scott Hughes says a new library fund approved by voters is giving him an extra $3 million annually to play catch-up after years of cutbacks.

Administrators say their goal is to use bond money to one day build a new, state-of-the-art library. They say that they have also relied on federal funds to help pay for new boilers and air conditioning units.

Officials say their next project is to make the lobby more handicap accessible.