Replace all of your subscriptions with a library card 

With the momentum YOU GUYS have been giving me, we're going to hit 10k subscribers really soon! I never thought something like this could happen. I could use your feedback: What made you guys click on this video? Your feedback here will help tremendously in creating the BEST possible videos for ya'll.

the library is the government doing something right: providing information and knowledge for free for anyone who wants it. Plus, you're taxed to pay for it, so might as well use it.

As a former digital librarian, I'm so happy you posted this video. Not every library is going to have all these services, but even if they don't, your patronage keeps your local library going!

Thank you! After watching your video this morning, I got up, got dressed and headed over to my local library to get a library card! I used to use the library many years ago, but had honestly forgotten all that it offers. There is so much more there now, this is epic! Appreciate the information, extremely valuable!!!😀

TL;dr-- your mileage may vary depending on city size and mayors. Btw your library has to opt IN to these services. If you live in a large city then your library most likely has this. A more rural library might have a more limited budget. If that’s your case go talk to the library director or the mayor and ask about these services. They’re more willing if patrons ask for it. I had my local library discontinue Freegal because no one was using it. Libraries get funding from USAGE. Please use your Library-- it has more than just books. It is a Public Archive of media.

When I retired I cut the cable TV cord and started to go to the library. Great selection of DVDs, but I noticed the book stacks had really thinned out since I was in HS and college in the area. But most of the new books they get now are e-books, especially the non-fiction stuff (fiction is available in hardcopy and digital). I go there maybe once a week now. My only gripe is they only have 19 out of 26 James Bond movies on DVD, but I can live with that! 😉

I LOVE our local library. Been using it regularly since we moved here 20 years ago. When kids were little, we'd check out the many kid music CDs and DVDs. When I see a new book or movie coming out, I go online to put a hold on it then when I get the email saying it's ready it just takes a few minutes to stop in to pick it up at hold shelves. Now that so much is digital, it makes it even better. And our library is responsive.... if they don't have a copy (physical or digital) of something it's easy to request and they'll buy it to add to the collection. I also love the seed library.... I've had a large veggie garden and have not paid for seeds for at least 5 years. We also check out board games and jigsaw puzzles a lot.

I've been taking my library card for granted for so long! thank you so much for putting all of this information out here in a very simple and accessible way!

Thanks for this great reminder of a group of resources we relied on before subscriptions and social media. I was glad to see the libraries have a lot to offer digitally and have expanded their informative services by partnering with other great and free resources. You may have helped us save a $100. 😂

Yessss! I’ve been going to the library for movies. I get a slight nostalgic feeling of going to blockbuster.

Exchanging seeds at the library is wild

I knew about most of these, but thank you for mentioning Kanopy! Just signed up!

love my two beautiful local libraries, commenting so this hopefully reaches people who have yet to discover theirs :]

I grew up in libraries I love them!!

I know that Berkeley, CA, has a tool library!

my library has a preloaded roku you can borrow!! endless movies & shows for free!!

Thank you so much for this tip I did not know about free gal music but you have to get a library card I just sign up for one online today and hope they will approved my application for the library card so I can get access to all FREE things that the library offer

as someone who's dad works at a library, i can confirm.

Great video!! Pre-pandemic I always borrowed movies from the library. And I didn't know about all of those things you can do online for free. I need to go visit the physical space as well as their online space.

You are a life saver. Thank you, thank you so much.

Thanks for this. I had no idea half these services were available. Well some of them are available at my library. Time to do some digging and see what they offer!

Kanopy is great but you won't have access unless your library, or a library you're a member of, subscribes to it. If not, and you're a student, try your university library. They may subscribe. Then you need to log on with your university credentials, but you'll lose access when you leave the university. If your public library doesn't subscribe, check out libraries in other cities in your state and see if they'll give you a library card. Many will issue you one if you have a card from the city where you live. You may have to go in person to get this kind of card, though.

My library system recently built and opened a whole library branch dedicated to nothing but food. The library has test kitchens in it, where they offer free cooking classes by area chefs. The library also offers all of the services mentioned in this video.

As a librarian with an MLIS degree, working in & loving the library field, I am very grateful to see more and more people like you recognizing the incredibly underrated merits & benefits that a library offers. Thank you for this delightful video. I hope sharing & talking about this video will help others I know see the light as well. Good work.

My autistic sister consumes media from the library almost exclusively. I thought it was just a weird autistic quirk, but turns out she's a genius.

As someone who works at a library. This is INCREDIBLY important. With that said, certain libraries will partner with specific services (Some libraries might use Libby, some libraries might use CloudLibrary, or Palace, Hoopla, etc). So you'll need to check in with them, ask the folks at the front desk, or see if they have any pamphlets. All in all, PLEASE GO AND CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY!!

You solved a big problem for me!! My retired dad is always looking for ways to watch movies, especially old movies for free. And now he can! Kanopy doesn't have all the movies but it definitely helps! Thank u so much man!!

I wish i could go to the library after work and stay until 1am like people do at bars

Not the RU-vid Channel we deserve -- but the one we need right now.

I'm a former librarian in your library system BCLS, and I'm so happy you are enlightening the public who pay taxes for good service and materials. I'm still reading my audiobooks! Now the library prints out how much you saved by borrowing!

I recently started using my local library, and it’s great! I checked out a Chromebook for a friend, I use their printer, I do lots of my work there (instead of spending $5 on coffee like you mentioned), and it’s only a mile down the road. Plus the people there are so kind. I didn’t realize there was news, music, and audio books too!

With my new york public library card, I can go to all the main museums and zoos here for free. It's pretty cool!

Shoutout for the "Third Place", its whats missing in modern society. A place for non-immediate family members to gather and discuss topics. Its how Revolutions are fomented.

Great video @NomadOverNormal 📚 A local library saved my life when I lived alone & was deeply depressed . . . I visited nearly every day and found human contact, advice from the reference librarians, great books & free music! The uplift I felt walking to the library & excitement walking home with my selections brought me a hint of joy in the midst of a ‘very dark night of the soul’

I've been trying to quit using subscription services because I'm a student, so I don't have much money to spend. I think there's a pretty good library near my college that I could go to, so I'll check it out! (another option is piracy- I'm not saying you should, I'm just saying its out there)

You can also pirate

As someone who's mom is a librarian, i second this recommendation. We save so much money just cuz we use our library cards 😅

I have 4 library cards that I use to rent Audiobooks and e-Reading files though Libby. Because of your channel I had NO idea all of these options were available though my local libraries!! I checked my local library and found out not only do they have all the features you explained but they even have free state park passes!! OMG! They have classes to help get you started in college and prep for SATs. You, sir, may have changed peoples lives with this information. Thank you for posting!

Being outside the US makes this sadly not an option. I have 3 different library cards and can still only ever find about 1% of the books I’m looking for 😫

Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card! 🎶

I think there's quite a bit of confusion and/or misconceptions happening in this comments section. I currently work as a data analyst for one of the largest library districts in the US. First, because this video focuses mostly on digital content, it's really important to be aware that not every library offers every service highlighted in this video. Speaking specifically about my library, we have at one time offered all of the services mentioned in this video and in this comments section. However, digital content licensing is still EXTREMELY expensive for libraries, so the content available to you in services like Libby (fka Overdrive) depends on how well funded your library is. Likewise, hold times depend on how many digital copies of an item your library can afford to purchase. Don't think of library digital content as streaming; think of it as a digital option of a physical item. It is not streaming, so an unlimited number of people cannot access the same content at the same time. Your library can only purchase so many copies of any individual physical or digital item, so there will be holds for the most popular items. Despite the size of my library, we do not currently offer any video or music streaming services. We had all of the major ones in the past, but the cost to the library for those services was greater than the benefit it provided to our users. Hoopla seems like a great model in that it offers seemingly unlimited streaming; however, they then charge the library based on how much the service was used. Most libraries cannot budget for a service that doesn't have any sort of set price, so many libraries that do use Hoopla end up putting usage caps on the service so that usage does not exceed the budgeted cost. I want to be very clear that I'm not critiquing or criticizing this video in any way. On the contrary, I very much appreciate this video being made and published to increase awareness of what the modern library offers. I just don't want people going to their local library and being upset that all or some of the services mentioned in this video are not offered. The services offered by individual libraries are totally based on the funding of those specific libraries and the demands/expectations from the customers of those libraries. Lastly, remember that libraries are free to everyone BECAUSE they are funded by taxes, and as a result individual users get much more out of their money than they would paying for any service or physical item themselves. In our last fiscal year, my library calculated that we provided over $3.00 in services for every $1.00 collected in taxes. All that said, if you value the services provided by your library, or want to more effectively "cut the cord" from expensive subscription services, make sure you vote in favor of legislation, locally and nationally, that funds libraries. By supporting your local library, you will get back far more than what you would from buying individual services. P.S. It's fairly common that you can sign up for multiple library districts depending on where you live. I live in one of the relatively smaller US metro areas, and the library I work for is actually outside of my residential district, but because all the libraries in our metro have reciprocal card agreements, I actually access to at least 4 different cards, each of which grants me access to between 2 and 30 locations. This means that if my library does not offer one of the specific resources, I may be able to find it at one of the other reciprocal libraries.

I am a healthy senior with a lifelong love of libraries. If my lovely wife was a librarian I could firmly say she would be even more perfect. Librarians have helped me in business in my twenties and throughout my professional career. Sure we can all Google things but librarians know how to due research in ways most of us can not fathom. If I sound like I have a librarian crush it is because I do. Knowledge lives on.

As someone who’s almost done pursuing an MLIS (Master’s in Information & Library Science) thank you for listing out all the things public libraries offer! I can’t say the library I’m interning at has every service yours does (like the seed bank), although I have heard of libraries really catering to their community in what they usually need (like borrowing cooking tools). Public libraries also make sure to offer tools and resources that assist those with disabilities know as Assistive Technology (ATs). Again, my library is definitely not as sophisticated as other public libraries (and those with higher budgets and/or communities of people with specific disabilities) but we offer a lot of tools for those who have trouble reading small worlds. We offer a selection of large text books, a machine that enlarges regular text books, and BARD materials (Braille and Audio Reading Download) through the Library of Congress. So again, thank you for highlighting libraries are places people can come to when they want specific resources, I feel like a lot of people aren’t aware what they can get out of their local libraries!

Great video! Something else worth mentioning is my library offers access to a free language learning website. Also some libraries have subscriptions to Ancestry

just be a chad and pirate everything

THIS MADE ME GET A LIBRARY CARD!! FREE RESOUCRES?! Might as well capitalize on that 😄

I did a documentary for my city on the library’s! I love libraries and the movies available are better than pretty much almost anything streamed. Join your library we must protect what that place is!

Library resources are the best! Especially if your system has migrated to Libby. So maybe awesome books and movies--even when you have to put something on hold it usually doesn't take too long and there's always something to listen to in the meantime.

When I tell people my major is Library Science the second most common question I get is, "Will that really still be relevant in the future?" And I always answer Yes. Libraries are free resources, a community/activity center, a safe space after school, and a hub for internet access. As long as libraries keep adapting to the needs of everyday people, they will be relevant.

In the 2000s I discovered the library (I'm 39). It's amazing how much media you can get for free. I watched whole anime shows and read entire Manga using it at the time. I regret not using it more.

Just explored my library’s options. Thank you!

🇨🇦 You can donate the latest Blu-Rays & books to libraries. That what I do sometimes

My mom has been a librarian my whole life! During the summer when I was off school, I’d just come with her to work all the time and just hang out in the library all day. They’ve been so underrated for so long, it’s nice to see them getting more love these days :)

YA librarian here and there’s also so many cool resources that are in library only. We have a 3D printer, small recording studio, instruments, drawing tablets, sewing machine, etc. in our teen center that teens can use whenever.

Digital minimalism changed my life. Great to catch that in your deck of notecards.

My brother watched all of Naruto with our library card. It was awesome.

Can't believe you've only gotten less than 1k views for all your videos, apparently getting out of the consumerism that the digital world brings is not as compelling to most people

I recently discovered that my library has sewing machines and saw horses, circular saws, yoga equipment, baking pans, and so much more to check out. It’s so cool.

Thank you for sharing all of the different modes of entertainment that libraries offer; I did not know you could get any kind of streaming service that way. Have a blessed day. John 3:16 KJV

my local library recently went under renovation, when I went back for the first time I found out that they shrunk the total space for books by 25% and replaced it with either empty space, more ancient dell PCs and a few office/meeting rooms for booking. it is the most bizzare thing and actually quite unfortunate given the whole thing was a million dollar job

Some caveats for those who try this. - libby the service ebooks doesnt let you check out an ebook or audiobook if its already taken. (So most popular books would be on hold) -the streaming service does not support every libarby system. (In that case you would to need to sign up using your uni or college email)

Love this! I am going on over a year without Netflix and everything they do continues to make me not want to support them. I use Libby a lot for ebooks and audiobooks, and I signed by for Kanopy but haven't explored it much. Definitely going to look into a lot of these other resources too! One thing I like to point out to people is how much comics and manga are available. Comics are super expensive at $10+ when depending on the series you're looking a handful to...infinite volumes. I just don't have $1000 to invest into the One Piece manga right now. But from my library I can just borrow it and read it at home for free, my library even has a lot of comic series on infinite lending so you don't have to wait for a digital copy to be "available" like with some other books. I've been reading Berserk and it's so convenient. There's of course more dubious ways to read comics for free, but this is easy, legal, and promotes community so I love it. Maybe this is obvious because comics are books too, but it's worth checking out!

I completely agree. I go a step further and donate the money that I save from not buying books and not getting subscriptions, to the library. I get to write off my donation, save space (I've always lived in city centers with limited space), learn something new, and find community which is a win, win, win, win, win.. for me.

I love my local library. I use Libby for e-books that connect to my kindle and Hoopla for audiobooks and movies. My library also offers a homeschooling curriculum free to those with a card and I use it for my son! I looove libraries so much. They’re not appreciated enough or talked about enough. This was a wonderful video!😊

Yep. Our library is the place to go for books, movies, video games, and board games, and we can even reserve items from libraries across our area region. Let alone the digital platforms that you are highlighting. I’m guessing not everyone who watches this video has access to a local library, but people who do should definitely heed your good advice.

this is very america centric, i wish I had something similar for my country too, especially kanopy sounded very very interesting. anyways, good video man, it has encouraged me to switch from platforms.

Nothing beats Spotify. It's the only sub that is justified to me.

Here from reddit! I appreciate this video so much - As an engineer and hobbyist planner our societies lack of 3rd space is crazy. You brought some serious value in this video and your editing is on point!

I like this without seeing it. It has my most favorite (and probably THE BEST) concept in the title: libraries! Thx for the great video. Support libraries!

Arrrrhhh .. it's true what ye be saying .. and we should all support our local libraries and explore the incredible resources they have to offer .. but alas I haven't been needing their honorable services for quite some time now. The way my eyes be seeing it .. if digitally "buying" something doesn't mean you actually OWN it, then digitally *_taking_* something means you didn't steal it. 🏴‍☠ Tis a good video Matey .. best of luck on a speedy voyage to 10K!

I clicked on this video thinking I could get a free spotify subscription with a library card

My aunt is a bus driver for special needs students and a few years ago it broke my heart when I heard a little boy didn’t know libraries existed. This boy loved sea animals and every day on the bus ride he would tell my aunt all the facts he learned and he would ask questions hoping she could give him answers. She asked him if he had gone to the library to learn all these facts and he was confused, said “miss p, the library is only at school. I can only go with my class”. As a family who loves our public libraries, raised our kids reading to them in the womb and a sister who is an author, we knew we had to change this. My aunt knows not everyone has transportation to even get to the library and our town lacks easily accessible public transport, so she asked him which animals he wanted to learn about. Then she knew my son and I went to our library weekly/bi weekly so she asked if we could possibly check out some kids books on his interests. My son was in 5th grade around this time and absolutely loved choosing books for someone else. It wasn’t something we had ever done but it was a blast looking at all the books they had. Our stack grew and grew until we finally had to narrow down our choices haha We gave them to my aunt and she surprised the boy with the books. She had a little basket she kept on the bus for the books and then each kid could grab a book to read on the ride and drop in when they got off. We tested it out with library books to see if the kids liked it and turned out they looooved it. She had a radio previously but when her old bus broke her new bus didn’t have music so the kids were already having issues with the change in routine. Especially being special needs their routine is huge and keeping them comfortable physically but also emotionally and mentally is something my aunt works very hard to do. After we saw it working not just for the 1 little boy, but a lot of kiddos, we started purchasing books, collecting donated books and we created her own little bus library. Now kids can take them off the bus to borrow (or keep bc it’s not about the books, it’s about making the kids happy and teaching them the importance of reading). Sadly bc of Covid this couldn’t continue and she hasn’t been able to restart it yet either but for those 2 years of library books and our bus library we had a blast and I know it made a difference. The library offers so many resources and we only utilized borrowing books, the least they do, and it changed lives. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but reading can and does have that power. Get a kiddo in the door of the library with the fun kids books and next thing you know they’re learning computer games, then wanting to take coding classes the library offers, then learns how to build a robot in another class….the domino effect 1 visit to the library can have is amazing. And there’s even better librarians there to help you along the way.

I completely agree with you! I love going to the library. NYPL has so much to offer! The masses are so unaware sadly

Don't forget, BCLS is a good library system too. Not all Library systems provide these services. One other awesome service they provide is that you can request and borrow any book you need from any BCLS Library and they'll get it for you. I think they'll even send it to your local library. I used this when I was in college to get a few books I needed.

Sadly we don't have a library

I recently did this! We went to a town meeting and I never realized how extensive the library in the town I recently moved to is. It’s got more movies I want to watch than any streaming service, audio books, music, etc.

THANK YOU. Libraries are a priceless resource that people are being gaslit and bamboozled into abandoning. Who the hell needs to spend money on all that useless "content" when there's a whole world of stuff that's available for FREE? Enough!! If you don't get to OWN it, what's the point of paying money for it???

Thank you for reminding me how much I once loved the library.

You are spot on with your excitement of what the library has to offer. And yes it is free to use as a “consumer”, but does cost money to operate these offerings. That is where your tax dollars come in and politicians love to say “libraries are great”. They also will cut the support (dollars) if they have something that interests them more. As a user and tax payer and voter you can influence them by communicating to them how important the library services are to you. Your library professionals will be more than glad to assist you with that. BTW I spent 25 years as a library trustee for my library system and I have many wonderful memories. Good luck to you.

more people need this information. with gratitude, i'll be sharing this with everyone i can. i've been trying to turn everyone i know on to libby since i discovered it. i also think free instrument checkout is an honorable mention. thanks for making this! (:

The library near my house even has classes and machines you can use from sewing machines to laser engravers and 3d printers

I go to the library every day. I check out books as well as use the public computer to watch old PhoneDog videos, Gravity Falls clips, and fire alarm tests on RU-vid. Yes, I know. I'm weird because I watch people testing fire alarms.

@NomadOverNormal very good content, no bullshit, trying to think beyond and explore outside the norm. this is what i need. Thank you

This was super helpful. As a long time Library and Libby user I thought I was ahead of the average person on what's available, but you clued me in to a bunch of stuff I didn't know

My library doesn't have movie streaming, and the music streaming service only has classical, jazz and world music... It does have a big drawing tablet and 3D printer you can use for up to 4 hours a day, which is pretty cool. Also a room with gaming consoles with the same 4 hour deal, except you don't need to be 18.

Libby (what overdrive is now called) is GREAT! Library audiobooks have gotten me back into reading. I had the goal of finishing 52 books this year, one per week. Even tho I only started in March, I was already past that goal by the end of September. Now I'm at 66 so far this year, and likely going to finish another couple before the year's out. So glad for the tip about movie streaming!

Thank you I love Libby and overdrive. I also use Hoopla with my library card.

One of the few good things about my childhood was how much time I spent at the library. I didn't realise that going every week wasn't a thing most people did until I was much older. And these days the services and selection you can get from them are better than ever. Libraries are awesome.

3:15 i love the fact that u showed that cake show man. it was top tier, a grade, top shelf, absolute fuckin garbage! i used to put on something or the other while I ate food with my mom and we ran out of stuff to watch and we decide to put it on...i kinda went into existential crisis after watching that shit like tf am I even doing and what is the purpose of this life kinda shit lmaoo

I don't have a RU-vid channel, and I'm not a librarian, but I say this to people all the time!

Love this topic! Love overdrive/libby for FREE books. Discovered this during the pandemic, Also hack for parents - take kids there for a free activities!

As a kid, my parents barely purchased any books. We always went to the library once a week and i loved it. I still do actually. Nice video

i agree with what you're saying overall, but the music service you provided has a very limited selection when it comes to music in any other language than english (also anything very underground/indie/unknown). just pointing it out, since this is a dealbreaker for me and probably many others too.

You just saved my life, man. I was complaining about this subscriptions all the time but I couldn't find any replacement for entertaining. Kanopy was a definite life saver.

I thought you were going to talk about Arthur lol

It was so weird seeing the library card from my area on screen. I did not expect that.

I’ve always heard about how many things you can do with a library card but this is the best summation of it all I’ve seen. Gonna look into it all this week.

Some libraries also allow you to check out Art . You can change your wall decor every season

Started looking at my library's resources and there are so many that i didnt think exsisted. TY so much for this video

I was excited to hear about kanopy, but after I looked at their catalog, there's not much I'd watch. I'm into cartoons, but from what I've seen in their catalog, there's just old little kids cartoons (a lot of sesame street), which is not the stuff I like. I'm going to stick to disney plus and netflix, because those have the cartoons Inenjoy watching (and believe me, animation is a lot better than live action when it comes to tv shows).