Do you check out library books? Movies? Museum passes? Attend library programs for children, teens, or adults, or ask for help at the reference desk? These are all services that the library offers at no charge, but have you ever wondered what it could cost otherwise?

In the left hand column, enter the number of times you or your family use each of the services listed. The estimated retail value of each service will be calculated on the right, and the total value of your library use will appear at the bottom.

Input Your Use	Library Materials & Services	Value of Your Use
	Adult Books Borrowed	$
	YA Books Borrowed	$
	Childrens Books Borrowed	$
	Audiobooks Borrowed/Downloaded	$
	Interlibrary Loan Requests	$
	eBooks Downloaded	$
	Magazines Read	$
	Newspapers Read	$
	Movies Borrowed	$
	CDs Borrowed	$
	Meeting Room Use (per hour)	$
	Adult Program Attended	$
	Teen Program Attended	$
	Childrens Program Attended	$
	Museum Passes Borrowed	$
	Computer Use (per hour)	$
	Database Searches	$
	Reference Assistance	$
		$

How Does It Work?

The library calculator idea is borrowed, with grateful appreciation, from the Chelmsford Public Library. Estimated retail values were determined by the Massachusetts Library Association. Here is a list of values for each service, with an explanation for each value:

Library Service	Value of Service	Based On
Adult Books Borrowed	$17.00	Amazon.com average price
Young Adult Books Borrowed	$12.00	Amazon.com average price
Children Books Borrowed	$17.00	Amazon.com average price
Audiobooks Borrowed	$9.95	Audible.com download average
Interlibrary Loan Requests	$25.00	Amazon.com average price plus shipping
eBooks Downloaded	$15.00	Estimated B&N/Amazon average
Magazines Read	$5.00	Estimated purchase price average
Newspapers Read	$9.50	Boston Globe subscription (outside city)
Movies Borrowed	$4.00	Estimated Netflix average
CDs Borrowed	$9.95	iTunes download album average
Meeting Room Use (per hour)	$25.00	Estimated value
Adult Programs Attended	$15.00	Entertainment/program admission fee – estimated average per adult
Young Adult Programs Attended	$12.00	Entertainment/program admission fee – estimated average per youth
Children’s Programs Attended	$7.00	Entertainment/program admission fee – estimated average per child
Museum Passes Borrowed	$20.00	Museum admission fee – estimated average for two adults
Computer Use (per hour)	$12.00	FedEx/Kinkos price
Database Searches	$19.95	Average cost for online article search
Reference Assistance	$7.00	Average library cost