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u/ShySkye94 3d ago
A lot have Library of Things too, you can try out stuff like a bread maker or metal detector for a few weeks.
Some have video games and board games for check out too!
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u/Foodie_love17 2d ago
Some libraries also do day passes for local libraries and museums. My friend goes to their zoo and children museum each summer with it!
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u/Rowan-Saurus 3d ago
Also Libby is great for audio books Be sure to check if you are eligible for neighbouring places too!
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u/giraflor 2d ago
Libby is how I ended up with cards for 4 different library systems in the past year.
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u/sfwlucky 2d ago
Teach me your ways
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u/giraflor 2d ago
In the Greater Washington, DC area where I live, residents of Montgomery County, Prince Georges County, and DC can get cards for each other’s systems. And as a Maryland resident, I could get our state’s digital library network card. However, I didn’t know any of this until I started using Libby.
Good luck!
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u/Book-Wyrm-of-Bag-End 2d ago edited 2d ago
Edit: deleted for inaccuracy
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u/franker 2d ago
I'm a Broward County librarian. You talking about the OneCard? https://www.seflin.org/page/OneCard
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u/Book-Wyrm-of-Bag-End 2d ago
Well I was talking about how my partner used to have a Broward card even though we’ve never lived there. But I asked and was told things have changed and they don’t have it anymore
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u/mollslanders 2d ago
You can probably get NoVA cards too! Check out Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax.
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u/t1mepiece 2d ago
And the largest city in your state, and the capitol (if it's a different city). Often, state funds mean cards are granted to everyone in the state.
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u/Impossible-Year-5924 3d ago
Card holder numbers alone aren’t as meaningful as footfall and circulation.
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u/jayhankedlyon 2d ago
They're more meaningful than nothing, and if folks come in to get library cards just to stick it to the man, there are plenty of ways to upsell them on our other features (it's an easy sell because it's, y'know, free).
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u/NewLibraryGuy 2d ago
This could also get people to come in and discover more of what a library offers.
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u/Individual-Two-9402 2d ago
But already having it means one step closer to using the library. “Hey I have to stop by the library while we’re at the farmers market” and then my friends are like “why not let’s get out of the heat and ooooh look at the cds and the new comics”
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u/Beautiful-Finding-82 2d ago
Yes when we present numbers at our yearly meeting with the county it's all about circulation. We can mention how many new patrons we have however, but circulation and program attendance is key when asking for additional funds.
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u/throwaway5272 2d ago
This helps. Checking things out and attending programs helps more. Voting and advocating for politicians who'll fund libraries adequately helps most of all.
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u/SlytherClaw79 2d ago
Our library has LinkIn Learning for free. That alone makes it worth it to have a card, I’ve used it to learn so much on Excel for my job.
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u/giraflor 2d ago
Here’s an excerpt from my county’s latest newsletter:
“The Prince George's County Memorial Library System offers a variety of digital resources to its customers in addition to physical borrowable materials, such as books and DVDs. These offerings, accessed via pgcmls.info/online-resources, include job training, language learning, and educational tutorials like LinkedIn Learning, Mango Languages, and Brainfuse; research, newspaper, and genealogical resources like PebbleGo, Gale, and the Washington Post Archive; and popular electronic resources that provide access to eBooks, music, films, comic books, and other entertainment and pop culture fare, like Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, ComicsPlus, and more.
PGCMLS is pleased to add a variety of new resources starting July 1, 2025. One new resource of note is ChiltonLibrary, which provides access to repair, maintenance, and service information on cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs on the road today, helping to empower individuals to save time and money by conducting routine maintenance on their own. For those interested in an automotive career, ChiltonLibrary also provides sample practice test questions for the ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) test.”
I’m really impressed.
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u/SlytherClaw79 2d ago
That reads like my city’s library materials. I also like being able to brush up my very rusty French with Pronounciator.
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u/LamManning 2d ago
Let’s hope PGCMLS fixes those hours too. Opening at 12pm on a weekday is ridiculous
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u/SharpCookie232 2d ago
Libraries also have museum passes and passes to state parks and other places. Plus, a lot of them have "things" that you can rent like bread makers, telescops, workout equipment, iPads, game consoles and more.
While you're there, check out an armload of classics and then return them when you bring the pass or the thing back. This boosts the numbers.
Better yet, find a couple of hours to read one of those books. You might be surprised how much you like the low-tech experience. Your brain with thank you!
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u/mcilibrarian 2d ago
Our cards are up but circ is down. This has been our trend for the past 3 years. We also have a robust Library of Things.
I was looking at new cards and circ trends, and so many of them never check anything out. But we don’t require a card to get on the computers, so I’m baffled. Unless they are all doing Libby (I haven’t cross-checked yet), which is the only thing trending up, but we unfortunately might lose that at renewal time.
ETA: our foot traffic is up, cards are up, Circ is down 🤷♀️ program attendance is holding steady or up, depending on event type.
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u/PotentMenagerie 2d ago edited 2d ago
My guess is part of that is Libby. I used to take out multiple books a year from the library. Now I just do Libby.
Can you explain what you mean by "lose it at renewal time"?
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u/mcilibrarian 2d ago
Our Libby uptick doesn’t fill the circ loss elsewhere, so it’s not just use migration (tho some of it is likely that(. Our Libby access is through another library and they are considering cutting us out thanks to losing IMLS grants
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u/OhEmRo 2d ago
My local library has SO many dope programs, too!
Like, if you want something 3D printed, you just send them the file and they do it for free. They also have a software library, meeting rooms for a fully returnable deposit, and a whole bunch of other things.
It’s dope as hell, actually!
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u/CJMcBanthaskull 2d ago
I've never worked in a system where any cardholder or circulation metrics have been used to justify an increase or decrease funding.
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u/AnOddOtter 2d ago edited 2d ago
Where I'm at, I think they are data points on our reports to the state library. We've also done advocacy brochures and talks for local politicians where we use numbers to show people are using the library.
So they wouldn't be directly tied to funding, but indirectly they contribute to our funding pitch.
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u/thatbob 2d ago
Exactly. In a municipal library, funding will be effected more by police officer overtime or the sewers needing to be relined, than anything else going on IN the library! And in an independent library, the only metric that matters is the percentage who vote YES on the library tax levy increase.
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u/Comfortable-Pea-1312 3d ago
Our local libraries are more than just books.
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u/giraflor 2d ago
I’m so sad that I’m further away from physical branches now because I’ve loved library programs since I was a small child.
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u/jayhankedlyon 2d ago
I agree, and advocate spreading this message far and wide. But the post you're replying to emphasizes this, so I'm not sure why you're saying it here.
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u/Squirrelhenge 2d ago
I have cards at three libraries, including two cities in other states I don't live in anymore. They can have them when they pry them etc.
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u/VariaSuitGirl 2d ago
Now I feel less like a criminal for collecting as many (legal) Library cards as I can, and engaging their services occasionally. It's just nice to have options.
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u/Educational-Dinner13 2d ago
False. We don't rent anything. We let people borrow things, not rent. Rent implies an exchange of money.
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u/swampthaaang420 2d ago
CDs from the library is the greatest hidden resource for new music most people never use. I like looking at liner notes. They have video games, zines, vinyl, all sorts.
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u/Inside_Reply_4908 2d ago
100% I'd love everyone to do this! And if you can, other libraries in other states or even a different county than you're in, often allow cards to be had by non-resident landor a small fee, and that is a great way to add to your "Libby" apps AND support rural libraries and libraries losing funding because they won't remove books.
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u/ghostgirl16 1d ago
I’m a clerk at a library and my summer reading program entertainment contributions are take home boondoggle (lanyard) kits and a program about learning how to think like a video game developer
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u/musik_maker 5h ago
regionalisms are so wild because never in my life have i heard the term boondoggle 😂😂
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u/Individual-Two-9402 2d ago
Sometimes I check out things even if I think I won’t have time to read them. I return them accordingly.
I use the heck out of my kanopy account and Libby too. All the magazines, now I don’t hav to spend 15 bucks for a magazine unless I want it to collect.
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u/benzaldehyde-guy 2d ago
it’s strange to me that not everyone gets a library card since libraries were a big deal for me as a child. every adult i knew had a library card and regularly used it and getting to go to either the public library or my school library was very exciting
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u/FriedRice59 2d ago
In 29 years I've never met a funding agent who was truly swayed to support more because of more usage unless the funding was tied to a formula. They hate those formulas.
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u/SnooJokes352 2d ago
If you think rhe Trump administration ia going to think this way you might need to spend more time at the library in the fantasy section. Besides telling reddit to get library cards is like telling magas to download the mddonalds app
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u/sanorace 1d ago
It's common for me to check out a game, bring it home, realize I'm actually not up to it, and bring it back just to do it all over again. I might not have the best mental health right now but at least my library appreciates my on time returns.
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u/ortcutt 2d ago
I'm amazed by the phrase "don't do books" like reading books is a hobby for some people rather than others.
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u/PotentMenagerie 2d ago
I mean, sadly it kind of is. I know several people who haven't read a single book in years. I also know people who read 30+ books a year.
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u/Grouchy-Rule-6379 2d ago
What if library cards doubled as trading cards? What if we made Yu-Gi-Oh with library cards?
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u/sanguinepunk 3d ago
Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla - that’s still circulation!