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How much money have you saved this year by using library services? Use this calculator to get an estimate: 

 
Input Your
Use
Library Materials & Services Value of
Your Use



$

This worksheet has been adapted from the Massachusetts Library Association and Chelmsford Library

 

 

Library Use Value Calculator
Explanations of Values

 

The cost figures for library services were derived by the Massachusetts Library Association based on the table below:

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
Music Downloaded $1.00 iTunes download song 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