Wichita Public Library has a neat system. They write on their blog: “Every time materials are borrowed from the Wichita Public Library (WPL) customers receive a receipt showing how much they have saved in that visit, the year to date, and their lifetime savings. The information is displayed on the receipt similar to the ways that retail stores show savings to club members or coupon users.” They then go on to add: “So far this year, the highest dollar amount saved by a customer’s account is $64,734.12. And the highest dollar amount saved by a customer’s account since this feature was implemented is $196,076.21.” Every book adds up…
If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletter, please find it here.
If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, Venmo (@openculture) and Crypto. Thanks!
via Reddit/Boing Boing
Not so sure about the math here. Pretty sure Robinson Crusoe can be had for free (or very close to it).
Except that libraries aren’t free; we pay for them with our taxes.
I addition to my taxes which I gladly pay to support the library, I pay a lot in late fees as my way to further support the library :).
Hey– math might be a little inflated, but libraries give great return on investment- in my opinion!! Something there for almost everyone, and everyone is welcome.
Me too!
Robinson Crusoe is just the last book listed. There were likely several more books being checked out at the same time.
It says you saved that amount, not that it was free.
Late fees are a decision. You can sometimes call or renew a book online.
Wichita Public Library was my only library (besides public school and university libraries) for the first half of my life. I’m 70 now. I’m sure WPL has saved me lots. So have San Bernardino County, San Bernardino City, Riverside County, Fresno County, Tulare County, and Kern County library systems. I love being able to support my library with my taxes. Also with my late fees. Also with purchasing at the Friends of the Library book sales.
The Salt Lake City Public Library has the same information their receipts. I’ve compared their claimed CD prices and they are almost double the normal retail price. If they’re fools they pay as much as they claim. But they also may be inflating the numbers so that you are more likely to donate to libraries because they give you such a bargain.