A Library Card Does More Than You Think

Your library card unlocks a whole lot more than books.

Forget the season’s “It Girl” purse—the hottest accessory you can have is a library card. Gen Z and millennials are hitting the stacks at higher rates than their parents, and once you see what’s hiding behind that piece of plastic, it’s not hard to understand why.

Build your to-read list—without the receipts. First things first: The library has books, obv. The Wake County Public Libraries catalog boasts more than 174K searchable items—meaning your next BookTok impulse buy can cost you exactly $0.

Take the library to go. More earbuds and screens than bookmarks? Thousands of audiobooks and e-books put the collection in your pocket, while digital magazines and comics give your screen time a literary upgrade.

Borrow Wi-Fi—really. Wake County library cardholders can check out Chromebooks and mobile hot spots for up to seven days at participating branches—perfect for working remotely, studying in the park or getting online without shelling out for more tech.

Parlez-vous free? Skip the pricey language-learning apps and brush up on your bilingualism with Transparent Language, an online platform that meets library cardholders where they are.

Stop the subscriptions. Your card can cover movie night too—so you can skip the seven-day free trial you’ll inevitably forget to cancel. Hoopla and WCPL’s Films on Demand give cardholders streaming access to education videos and blockbuster films—think the likes of Clueless, Titanic and Catch Me If You Can.

But wait, there’s more. Borrow a blood-pressure monitor, snag seeds for your garden, or sit down with a librarian for help with your job search or college application. Turns out, checking out is very much in. 

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