If you have a library card – you may have more benefits and freebies at your fingertips than you realize!
13 Library Card Benefits & Freebies (That AREN'T Books…)
Just quickly updating this post to say… GO SEE IF YOUR LIBRARY HAS A FREE SEED EXCHANGE!
My small town library has an old card catalogue that houses varieties of seeds and growing instructions, shared by the Master Gardener club and other library patrons. You can take out 7 Seed Packets per month, all you need is your valid library card.
My library's guidelines are:
1. Stop by the library to choose up to 7 packs of seeds, per household, per month. Stop by the Children’s Library to sign them out.
2. Agree to return with dry, reasonably clean, true to variety, non-GMO seeds in a paper envelope of any size to share with the Growing Things Seed Exchange (key to sustainability). This can be done at the end of your growing season.
The seeds range from Heirloom tomatoes to blanket wildflowers and more. Get a pumpkin patch worth of pumpkin seeds, and take home a guide for encouraging pollenators to come around.
What a wonderful resource to have for FREE at the library!
More Library Freebies
You might be used to visiting the library to pick out a new book – but did you know there are SO MANY MORE freebies you can get with just your library card? I was amazed to find out that my local library offered so many free benefits – like the recording studio? WOW!
If you haven't explored your library's benefits lately, here are 12 you might now know about either! (Keep in mind that every local library has different resources – so yours may vary – let us know if your library has a cool benefit that's not on our list and we'll add it!)
1 . Family Passes to Museums, Zoos, etc
My local library offers family passes to local attractions like the zoo and the museum which can be checked out once a year by each family. The 7-Day passes cover admission for two adults and up to four kids. That's a BIG savings for a family outing – especially if you went a couple times during that 7-day period!
2. Kanopy Video Streaming
Cut back on some of your streaming services because anyone with a library card can use Kanopy app for FREE! Stream from over 26,ooo titles – and stream Kanopy Kids for Sesame Street and loads of other content geared towards 2-8 year olds!
3. Family Entertainment
From magicians, to puppet shows, to craft-ernoons – the library offers lots of opportunities to bring the kids in for a show, a learning experience or some hands-on crafting time!
4. AudioBooks and eBooks
Ditch your Kindle Unlimited and Audible subscription fees and start using Libby – the library's Free eBook and Audibook app! For even more titles, try Hoopla – another library-based eBook and Audiobook app that has the ADDED benefit of containing comics, music, tv shows and movies.
5. Take-Home Puzzles
My library has shelves of puzzles that you can take home and even keep – provided you leave one in its place. It's a great way to feed a puzzle addiction without amassing cabinets full of them (or spending a dime)
6. Rent a Computer or Hot Spot!
Many libraries have laptops, chromebooks and hot spots available to borrow. My library has 7-Day Hot Spots you can borrow, which I thought was pretty cool for the families who live in more rural areas around here.
7. Exercise Classes
Check to see if your library offers yoga, Zumba, Pilates and other fitness classes – it's a good chance they have something on the calendar!
8. Adult Classes
Learn to sew, use Excel, start a garden or crochet a scarf. There's always some kind of class available on the library calendar!
9. Recording Studio
My library has free access to nice sound equipment and recording rooms – for making amateur podcasts, music recordings and more. They also have all the software set up on a computer to do the editing on. So cool!
10. Maker Machines
Many libraries have machines and tools available to let makers craft and create – at no cost! Find machines like this available to reserve:
- Cricut
- Heatpress
- GlowForge
- 3D Printers
- Silhouette
11. Meeting Rooms
Book a meeting room at no cost (for non-profit groups) – some even come with projectors, wireless mics and other equipment – so cool!
12. Ancestry Membership
Use the Ancestry.com Library Edition to do all your family tree digging… for free!
Got girls? You may also check out this post with some wholesomely Good Books for Girls – most of which you can check out at your local library!
Kandy Hanna says
I saw an article from January 2023 that said Kanopy & Hoopla had been dropped by the library system.
Debi Davidson says
I still use Hoopla everyday.
Anna says
At our library you can check out baking pans (Cookie Monster cake or Barbie birthday-they have a pan for that).
Jennifer Liers says
Whoever is in the pic above, you live in my town!! So we have machines to rent in Cleveland? Like cricut, Glowforge, etc?
Alice -PPP Team says
Yes ~ it’s so great! Be sure to reserve them ahead of time. 🙂
Amber Morris says
I was thinking the same thing! I didn’t know we had some of that stuff in Cleveland!
Tomesha says
Yes, we do. We also have whole rooms dedicated to these items that include canvas printing, DTG printing, embroidery, laser cutting, 3D printing, sublimation and more!