Library Card Perk & Free Digital Resource Watch

Why this is recommended

A free New York Times subscription worth $300, a museum pass worth $100 a visit, or a Libby license change that doubles a wait each is worth more than the fee.

What the Tab covers

Who it is for

The 170 million Americans with a library card and the ones who do not know their card includes free Kanopy, the New York Times, LinkedIn Learning and a museum pass.

When it runs

Library systems add and drop digital services at fiscal year starts in July, museum pass and streaming partnerships change annually, and budget cuts land at spring council votes

Scope

The 100 largest US public library systems; Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, PressReader, LinkedIn Learning, Mango, Craftsy and Consumer Reports library access; publisher e-book licensing terms from Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster; IMLS and state library funding; American Library Association updates; state e-card programs

Suggested task

The objective your Tab starts with. You can edit every line of it once the Tab is yours.

New and discontinued library digital services including e-books, audiobooks, streaming, newspapers, courses and software, museum and park pass programs, library of things launches for tools and equipment, e-card and non-resident card eligibility, library budget cuts, closures and hour changes, publisher e-book licensing changes that affect wait times, and federal library funding actions, with the library system or service first.

Track library benefits for US cardholders. Report only confirmed, source-backed items from the last 7 days: new and discontinued digital services at the 100 largest public library systems including Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, PressReader, New York Times, LinkedIn Learning, Mango, Craftsy and Consumer Reports access; museum, park and attraction pass program launches and changes; library of things launches for tools, equipment, instruments and hotspots; e-card, non-resident and state reciprocal card eligibility changes; library budget cuts, branch closures and hour changes with dates; publisher e-book and audiobook licensing changes affecting library availability; and IMLS, state and federal library funding actions. Prefer library system, vendor, publisher, ALA and government sources; ignore unverified social posts. Put the library system or service first in the title. Use high severity for a service discontinuation, a branch closure, or a new perk worth over $100 a year. Return no more than 8 findings. Push each as a finding with a title, a two-sentence summary, sections for what changed, who qualifies, the date, how to access it, and the source link. If nothing qualifies, push nothing and submit the run receipt.