A library card is usually thought of as a way to borrow books. The American Library Association (ALA), which runs a Library Card Sign-up Month campaign in September, presents the card as covering a good deal more than that.

This list gathers seven kinds of service that library associations and government pages say public libraries offer. Your own library may have some, all or none of them.

How these were chosen

Each item is named on a library association or government page that was readable on 12 October 2026. Where a survey figure exists, it is included. The list is in no particular order and is not a ranking.

Three limits apply throughout:

  • Each survey figure describes the libraries that answered, not every library. The detail is below.
  • The sources cover the United States, and England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Other places are not covered.
  • None of the pages says which services need a card, whether a card is free, or how to join. Ask your local library.

The figures come from two surveys by the Public Library Association (PLA), whose parent organisation is ALA. PLA invites all US public libraries to take part, and most do not. The 2023 technology survey was completed by 1,511 libraries, a response rate of 16.4%. The 2025 services survey had 1,896 responding libraries, a response rate of 20.6%.

For scale, the Public Libraries Survey from the Institute of Museum and Library Services collects data from approximately 9,000 US public libraries with approximately 17,000 outlets, counting main libraries, branches and bookmobiles.

Ebooks, audiobooks and streaming

In the 2023 survey, 95% of responding libraries offered ebooks, e-audiobooks or both, and 57.5% offered streaming and downloadable media.

What is on offer varies. In the same survey, subscription costs or payment terms were the top factor influencing libraries’ ability to offer digital content, selected by 85.7% of them.

Suits: listeners and readers who would rather borrow than subscribe.

Internet access and hotspots to borrow

In the 2023 survey, 46.9% of responding libraries lent internet hotspots. A hotspot is a portable device that gives you a mobile internet connection.

In England and Wales, GOV.UK lists free internet access among the services local libraries provide.

Suits: anyone between internet contracts, or without a reliable connection at home.

Help with computers, phones and the internet

This is one of the most widely reported services. In the 2023 survey, 95.3% of responding libraries offered some kind of digital literacy training, formal or informal, which means help learning to use computers, phones and the internet. In the 2025 survey, digital literacy and technology help was the most common type of programme for adults aged 65 and over, offered by 70.5% of responding libraries.

Libraries Connected is an independent charity whose members include almost every library service in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. It includes access to quality information and digital services, the chance to learn digital skills, and help feeling safe online in its framework of four Universal Library Offers.

Suits: anyone stuck on a device or an online form who would like a person to ask.

Tools, instruments and places to make things

ALA’s campaign page describes a “Library of Things”, from which you can check out instruments and tools. It also mentions learning new skills in your library’s makerspace, a space for making things.

In the 2023 survey, 39.5% of responding libraries had maker production equipment and 24.6% had digital media production equipment. The announcement does not list what that equipment is, so ask what your branch has.

Suits: people who want to try a craft or a repair before buying the kit.

If you have something to mend, a separate list covers where to find repair guides and repair events.

Events and groups

ALA names book clubs, movie nights, crafting classes and author talks among the things a library may run. GOV.UK lists community activities among local library services. One of the four Universal Library Offers, Culture and Creativity, is about giving local communities access to arts and cultural experiences through libraries.

Suits: anyone looking for a regular reason to be in a room with neighbours.

To gather people at home instead, see how to host a board game night with borrowed games, which covers what to ask a library about lending games.

Study space and shelter from the weather

ALA’s page mentions study rooms and cosy nooks. GOV.UK lists study space.

Some libraries also serve as shelter from the weather. In the 2025 survey, 44.7% of responding libraries served as cooling or warming centres during extreme temperatures.

Suits: students, home workers and anyone who needs a quiet hour somewhere that is not home.

Food, health and home library services

Among libraries responding to the 2025 survey, 56% offered food security support services, and 66.7% offered health and wellness programmes for adults or general interest. The announcement also reports that 80.4% offered specific support services for adults aged 65 and over. It does not describe what these services and programmes consist of. The figures show what libraries offer; they are not health advice.

For Libraries Connected, Health and Wellbeing is one of the four Universal Library Offers. GOV.UK says many areas also have a home library service or a mobile library service.

Suits: older adults, carers, and people who find it hard to get to a branch.

Where to check for yourself

Do this next

Go to your nearest public library in person this week. Ask a member of staff how to join and what a card covers there, then borrow one thing that is not a book.