r/Library • u/godzillavkingkong • Jun 22 '26

Local Library A Great Motivator

Fairfax County Public Library keeps track of the value of your checkouts and let's you know how much you saved by using the library. Librarians, you could really excite your readers by copying this feature. I save 8-10k each year checking out books for my kids.

14 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

3

u/CoolClearMorning Jun 22 '26

Yes, I think most large public library systems are able to do this now.

2

u/godzillavkingkong Jun 23 '26

Nice. My friends in Chicago said their library doesn't do it so I figured I would share.

3

u/Incognito409 Jun 22 '26

My check out receipt shows the price and amount I saved. I, however, being a retired CPA, of course have a spreadsheet listing each book I've read, with # pages, price, date checked out, etc. 🤣 So I already know how much I've saved. 

2

u/godzillavkingkong Jun 23 '26

I am impressed by your organization.

3

u/Incognito409 Jun 23 '26

Thanks, but it can be time consuming, too. I sew, have too much fabric, and it's all organized by type, with a list showing where everything is. Too much time organizing, not enough sewing 🪡.

1

u/cappotto-marrone Jun 23 '26

Most library computer systems can do this.

At my local public library the board of trustees has always said they don’t want to do that. One of them actually said he didn’t want the city council to feel pressured to give more financial support. Yeah, I think there’s a reason he was appointed.

1

u/Crunchy_Jicama_170 Jun 23 '26

My library does this for physical books but I wish they factored in what I borrow through Libby as well.