How much money can you save by visiting your local library? Would you believe it could total more than $8,000? That's exactly what one Redditor says they saved in the last year.
"I'm an avid reader and have saved over $8k using the library this year," More_Ice_8092 writes in a post showing a library receipt.
Libraries are a great community resource and are entirely free to use. According to the American Library Association, librarians answer more than 6.6 million member queries every week. Library members can borrow books, movies, music, and use resources including computers — all for free.
And people with remote jobs can work at libraries for free — no expensive lattes required. This service can help support the local economy, especially if library users save all that latte money to spend at a local business.
Libraries also provide support to those looking for jobs. ALA says 73% of U.S. public libraries offer services including support with job applications and interview skills, and nearly 50% provide support to entrepreneurs.
Libraries also help those who are learning English by offering multilingual reading materials, classes, and other resources.
For someone like More_Ice_8092, who self-identifies as an "avid reader," the library can amount to significant savings on books and magazines.
And there are environmental benefits to visiting the library, too.
According to Statista, about 650 million individual books are sold around the world every year. That's an incredibly large amount of paper — even if it's recycled. The industry uses about 32 million trees per year to make books and produces more than 44 million tons of carbon emissions.
Patronizing your local library instead of buying a new book or magazine helps to keep trees in the ground and reduce greenhouse gas pollution.
Redditors heartily agreed that the library is full of great resources.
One Redditor chimed in with a useful tip: "A way to help you save is to download Library Extension for your browser. Then when you go to [Barnes and Noble] or Amazon, it will tell you if your library owns the item."
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