A library card is the most under-used free thing most households already own. The books are the part everyone knows about. The rest of it, which in many systems is worth more than the books, is barely advertised at all.
The reason is unglamorous: libraries buy these services on limited licenses, and promoting them heavily would exhaust the budget in a month. So they sit on a page nobody visits. Here is what to look for and how to ask.
What is usually available beyond books?
The specifics vary enormously by system, which is why this is a list of things to ask about rather than a list of things you definitely have:
- Ebooks and audiobooks. Almost universal now, through an app tied to your card. This is the one most people know exists and still do not use.
- Streaming film and music. Many systems license a film service offering a set number of titles per month, and some license a music service outright.
- Museum and attraction passes. Bookable passes to local museums, science centers and zoos, often admitting a whole family. These are the single most valuable thing on this list and the most consistently unknown.
- Paid software and learning platforms. Language learning, professional course libraries and genealogy databases are commonly licensed at a system level.
- Newspaper and magazine access. Including titles behind hard paywalls, readable through the library portal.
- Things, not media. A growing number of systems lend tools, sewing machines, musical instruments, cake tins, board games, telescopes and mobile hotspots.
Why is so little of this obvious?
Three reasons, and knowing them tells you how to find it. Licenses are capped, so libraries do not push them. The services are accessed through third-party apps with unfamiliar names rather than through the library site itself, so they do not look like library services. And the list changes as contracts are renewed or dropped, so any printed guide goes stale.
The practical consequence is that the fastest route is not searching the library website. It is asking a person.
How do you find out what your library actually has?
- Ask at the desk, in these words: “what do you have that people do not know about?” Library staff answer this question with enthusiasm because they are usually frustrated that the answer is a secret.
- Look for a page called something like eResources, Digital Library or Online Resources rather than anything containing the word free.
- Check whether your card gives access to a wider consortium. Many local libraries are part of a county or state system with a much larger catalogue than the branch suggests.
- Ask specifically about passes. These are usually booked rather than browsed, so they often do not appear in a catalogue search at all.
What are the catches worth knowing?
They are real but manageable. Ebook and audiobook holds can run to weeks for popular titles, because the library owns a set number of simultaneous licenses exactly as it would with physical copies. Museum passes are usually limited to one booking per card per month and go quickly in school holidays. Streaming services often cap titles per month rather than offering unlimited viewing.
The other catch is that a card tied to an address needs that address kept current. Cards lapse quietly, and people assume a service has been withdrawn when in fact their card simply expired.
Is a library card worth getting if you do not read?
On the passes and the lending library alone, usually yes. A single family museum pass can be worth more than a year of most subscriptions, and borrowing a tool you need twice rather than buying it is the same logic this site applies to everything else. The reading is optional.
How do the museum passes actually work?
This is the part worth understanding properly, because it is the highest-value thing on the list and the most awkward to use.
A library buys a limited number of passes to a local institution and lends them out the way it lends anything else. Depending on the system the pass is a physical card collected from the branch, a printed voucher, or a code booked online and shown on your phone. What it admits varies: some cover two adults, some cover a whole family, some give a discount rather than free entry.
- Book early. Passes for school holidays and weekends are typically gone weeks ahead, while a Tuesday in term time is often wide open.
- Check what the pass actually admits before you travel. A pass for two adults is a different day out from a pass for a family of five.
- Look at neighbouring library systems too. Passes are bought locally, so the branch one town over frequently holds passes yours does not.
- Return or cancel if your plans change. Passes are a scarce shared resource and most systems restrict borrowers who repeatedly no-show.
What about the things libraries lend that are not media?
The lending library of objects has grown quickly and is unevenly distributed, so it is worth asking even if it sounds unlikely. Systems variously lend power tools, sewing machines, pressure washers, musical instruments, cake and baking tins, board games, telescopes, energy meters, seeds and mobile hotspots.
The logic is the same one that applies to everything on this site: things you need twice a year are things to borrow, not to own. A pressure washer used once a summer costs storage space for eleven months and depreciates the whole time.
Practical caveats. Object loans are usually shorter than book loans, often a week. Some require a deposit that is refunded on return. And a damaged tool is chargeable in a way an overdue paperback is not, so read the loan terms once rather than assuming.
Key takeaways
- Streaming, museum passes, paid software and tool lending are common, and almost never advertised.
- Licenses are capped, which is why libraries stay quiet about them.
- Ask a member of staff rather than searching the site. It is faster and they know what is new.
- Museum and attraction passes are the highest-value item and usually need booking ahead.
- Cards lapse. An expired card looks exactly like a withdrawn service.
FAQ
Do I need to live in the area to get a card?
Usually you need to live, work or study in the service area, and any of the three is often enough. Some systems also sell non-resident cards for an annual fee, which can still be worth it if the digital catalogue is strong.
Can I hold cards at more than one library?
Frequently yes, and it is a reasonable thing to do if you qualify for two systems, because their digital licenses rarely overlap completely. The apps handle multiple cards without difficulty.
Are the ebook apps actually any good?
The main ones are competent and work on phones, tablets and e-readers. The friction is not the app, it is the waiting list on new releases. Borrowing older titles is close to instant.
What happens if I return something late?
Many systems have removed late fines entirely in recent years, and digital loans simply expire on their own with nothing to return. Check your own system, because the ones that retain fines usually cap them at a small amount.
