Ways to Save Money, Use the Library
Ways to Save Money, Use the Library
You know that the library has lots of books you can check out to read but did you know the library has other services to offer? Along with getting books to read you can check out other things like movies, free music, ebooks, homework help and more. Here’s just a few ways to save money by using the other services at your local library. Many of them you can use from home, saving you a trip to the library.
Quite Working Rooms
At some libraries you can check out a room to work in. I know not all libraries have this option but some do. If you need a quite place to work away from the kids without having to buy coffee at your local coffee shop this may be your answer.
Free Music
Did you know you can download free music from your library’s website? Our local library has a service called Freegal. Freegal is a music database that your library may subscribe to. If they do you can download a certain amount of songs each week for free. At our library the limit is 3 each week.
What’s really great about this service is the music you download is your to keep. Our library also has music videos you can download too but they count as 2 credits instead of 1 credit. While not every song will be available through Freegal there is a wide assortment. Be sure to check and see if this service is available at your library.
Get Homework Help for the Kids
Our local library has some great homework resources. There are homework guides that cover many subjects from explorer to green living, from mathematics to geography and lots of subjects in-between.
Our library also offers  text a librarian and chat with a librarian. So if your child needs help with a research project check to see if they can get help at your library online without even having to leave home.
Free Ebooks
Your library may have a good selection of ebooks to check out. This may be a good option for those of you who live far away from the library. Our library has a good assortment of ebooks to check out and can be read on most tablets, smartphones or computers.
Like with other books there is a limit to how many people can have access to the book at once so you may have to wait for the book to be available. Our library has two services to access ebooks from so be sure to check to see if this is an option for you to get library books without having to even leave the house. Another plus no late fees the ebooks return themselves.
Ebooks for Kids
TumbleBook is library resource for kids. It’s a website with story and chapter ebooks for kids. It can be accessed from a tablet or computer. It has lots of kids books that can be read to your child. It’s great because as the books are read to the child the sentence being read is highlighted so the child can follow along. My son watched/read a book and loved it.
There are also other things to do like games, puzzles, chapter books and videos. Be sure to check to see if your library has this service to offer. It can help keep your kids in books without adding any clutter in the home.
Free Movies
Our library has a great selection of movies to check out. From classics to new releases they have a bunch. At our library, most of the good movies need to be put on hold and wait for them to come in. So I will request the ones we want and then I get notified when they are ready to be picked up.
Our library also have movies and television show you can stream too. So be sure to check your library’s website to see if the movies or television shows are available for streaming.
The library probably has more to offer than you knew. Be sure to ask your librarian what services are available. To use most of these services you just need a library card from your local library, which is usually free or cheap.
Do you use your library? What service is your favorite? Leave me a comment below.
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We love the library and go there weekly. I love the big selection of books and movies. We’ve even checked out books through an interlibrary loan for things that our library doesn’t carry. I’ve saved so much money on books and video rentals over the years thanks to my library!
Libraries are a great money saver! I haven’t used the interlibrary loan recently but I have in the past. That’s a great tip Erin.
I love our local library! The quiet rooms there have been wonderful for me as a blogger. I’ve used them a lot, and I can’t wait until I can start using them again on a regular basis.
This is a great post, Shelly! Thanks for putting it together. I know that our local library have more resources that I could be using for homeschooling. I need to put that on my to-do list to check out in greater depth.
I could NOT live without my public library – so many great free things including free programs and activities for families. My library also offers free passes to area museums and you can even check out a cool gadget called a Kill-a-Watt that measures how much energy your appliances are using. I LOVE my library!
Free passes to museums and a gadget to check on energy usage, I can see why you love your library. I will have to see if our library offers those things too.
We love the libraries. I reserve the books that I want and they are waiting for me when I need to get to the next book. I take my son to at least one library event a week and he loves to check out books and DVDs. We just have a problem of staying under our 50 book limit (while there is enough room for mom to have some books). Our local library has so many different free events that it keeps us busy and enjoying fun different activities so I have to say that is my favorite 🙂
Sound like your family does a great job of using the library. It’s wonderful that your library has so many different free events. I’m sure it saves you a lot of money. 🙂
I remember having my mind blown halfway through college when I learned that my school had a ton of videos and CDs in the library that we could check out for free. Growing up, our library also had a bunch of puppets you could check out for a week.
Lots of local libraries also offer free events and activities for the kids. I have very fond memories of our summer reading programs.
Mel, I love all the free events too. Libraries are a great resource. Thanks for stopping by!
I developed a fond love for the local library as a child thanks to my dad. Before I could ride my own bike he would put me into a child attached chair on his bike then we would head to the library and spend hours there. As I grew up I would continue to go at my own will and just loved getting lost in the books/magazines. The library is a goldmine and so essential to growing children. I can only hope my children one day will love visiting the library as much as I did and still do!
That’s wonderful, Naomi. I hope your kids will also learn to enjoy the library. Thanks for stopping by!
This is great! My kids always want money for school book fairs and I’m always reminding that we can get the same books for free at the library. Our local library is built into a network of libraries across the state, so we can order items that aren’t available locally. Great resource, thanks for sharing!
I love going to the library, because of all of the reasons you listed. Our library also has office type equipment (copy machine, computer, and a shredder) you can use for a greatly reduced price, or free.
Douglas, our library has office equipment to use too. I can’t believe I forgot to add it to the post. Thanks for mentioning it.
I would go to the library every day after school and even now as a woman, I enjoy going weekly. I use two library systems primarily, the city library and the county library of a big city. I tend to place holds and pick them up. Rarely do I browse the branch and select books.
Libraries are sanctuaries that we are blessed to experience.
The library card is a passport to data bases. I also found Lynda.com that is available from the library free of charge. Lynda offers non credit courses free. There are data bases for job search, continuing education, genealogy etc. Check it out you have already paid for these services through tax dollars, if you rent, the landlord passed the taxes to you in the rent. check out your nearest branch and enjoy! Just in case I forgot to mention, some libraries have books sales throughout the year, some are ongoing, or there are some that occur certain months of the year. The books are inexpensive and so are the DVDs.
Great tips Denise, thanks for sharing them. ~Shelly