Your Library Card Is the Best Deal in Town Right Now — Here's Why Everyone's Using It

With food prices and rent climbing, Americans are rediscovering a membership they already have: the library card. Izzy Rivera of Topeka, Kansas uses hers to check out books, stream movies and read the New York Times for free while she saves for law school.“It’s somewhere I can go where I’m not expected to spend money,”she told NPR. And she’s not alone. A Pew survey found 44% of Americans struggled to afford at least one basic necessity in the past year, and 70% cut back on extras like streaming subscriptions. Libraries across the country are seeing the results, with major systems in Los Angeles, Chicago and Maricopa County reporting growth in cardholders, visits and streaming app use.

The perks go way beyond books. Patrons can borrow Wi-Fi hotspots, tools, musical instruments and even sewing machines. OverDrive, which owns Kanopy, reported a 41% jump in streaming users last year. More than half of libraries now offer food security support services, according to a recent survey. Jeremy Reeder, director of the Maricopa County Library District, put it simply: why pay for an audiobook service when a friend can tell you the library has it, if you’re“a smidgen bit patient”?

There’s a catch worth watching. The Trump administration proposed zeroing out funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services in its April budget, meaning the free resources people are leaning on could face cuts. If you haven’t used your card lately, now might be the moment. What’s the most surprising free thing you’ve scored through your library?