Cancel your subscriptions; Louisville public libraries offer these services for free
Monthly subscription costs can be quite the pain at the end of the month, and sometimes it’s tough to keep track of them all. With streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and so many more, it's easy to sometimes plug in your card information and forget you're paying for it.
Are you trying to save a little bit of money where you can? We might just have the perfect solution in store for you.
The Louisville Free Public Library offers a variety of services to members, all at a low or free cost. And — hooray! — residents of Jefferson County are eligible for a free library card and membership.
Stream Music
Hoopla Digital
On Hoopla Digital, popular music can be streamed to a smartphone or tablet for free. According to Louisville’s library website, cardholders receive six credits per month to download and stream tunes. Each credit can be used to check out an album for three weeks and can be accessed via the Hoopla app.
Naxos Music Library
According to the Louisville library website, Naxos Music Library offers over 82,850 albums with over 1.2 million tracks. The library offers select titles from the classical, jazz, world, classic pop and rock genres.
Naxos Jazz
Naxos Jazz offers countless contemporary jazz music tracks from around the world, including the U.S., Scandinavia, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
Hoopla Digital: Learn to play guitar with your Louisville Free Public Library card
Watch Movies and TV
With Hoopla, library card holders can stream services from well-known brands like PBS, DC, Marvel, Acorn and more. Users are allowed six borrows per month, and the items have differing borrow periods. Most movies and TV episodes are available for 72 hours after the borrow time, with some only available for 48 hours. Most music albums are available for one week and audiobooks, comics and eBooks are typically available for three weeks, according to the website.
Listen to Audiobooks
At Louisville public libraries, eBooks, audiobooks, magazines and more can be borrowed for free through Libby, a library reading app from OverDrive. RBdigital audiobooks moved to Libby and are no longer available via the app or digital platform. Over 30,000 titles are available through Libby and the full catalogue can be found here.
You can also rent a telescope from the library
Following a donation from the Louisville Astronomical Society, Louisville public libraries can now lend out telescopes for one-week periods for free to those with a library card, 18 or older and in good standing, according to the Louisville library website.
A “telescope user agreement” must be signed at the time of checkout and the signee becomes liable for any damages that may occur under his or her watch. If damages occur, the signee becomes responsible for the replacement costs and charges will be added to their library account.
Telescopes are available for checkout at the Main Library, as well as the Northeast, Southwest and South-Central Regional libraries.
More from your library: Find support in the Louisville area with these free mental health workshops at city libraries
To get a library card to the Louisville Free Public Library, click the link here. Those who live, work, attend school or own property in Jefferson County are eligible for a free card, while outside and surrounding counties can purchase one for $25 a year.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky libraries offer free services that could replace subscriptions
