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Ever wonder what the value of your library card is? Use our Library Value Calculator and find out just how much the library saves you over the course of the year!

We may be a bit biased, but we are proud of our work as librarians and believe there is truly no better deal around.

For a while, we’ve had a Library Value Calculator on our website where you are able to calculate just how good of a deal the library is. We wanted to share this with you again!

This library value calculator was originally developed by the Massachusetts Library Association and the Chelmsford Public Library; formatting help was provided by resources provided by the Maine State Library, and value calculations were updated by Topsfield Town Library staff in 2022.

Taking the data a step further: if we input the library’s usage in FY2025 into this calculator, we conservatively estimate that the library provides more than $1.75 in value for every $1.00 appropriated by the town.

So come on down and take advantage over everything we have to offer at the Topsfield Town Library!

Topsfield Library By the Numbers

In Fiscal Year 2025, the Topsfield Library:

  • Hosted 327 programs, with 7,022 overall attendees.
  • Our overall circulation remains incredibly high. We circulated over 136,000 items in FY2025. It averages to 20.82 items per capita in Topsfield, which is in the top 15% of all 367 public libraries in the state of Massachusetts. 
  • Our e-book/e-audiobook circulation is rapidly increasing; approximately 1 out of every 5 loans at the TTL are e-books/e-audiobooks! In FY2025, we had the highest e-resource circulation per capita in our consortium (MVLC) AND our wait times are the lowest of any library in our consortium!
  • 75% of all physical item requests are filled in less than seven days; we have high circulation, but we still get popular titles in our patrons’ hands as soon as possible!
  • Our Museum Pass program allows for discount admission to local institutions like the New England Aquarium and Museum of Science.
  • Topsfield Library cardholders get free online access to New York Times (and New York Times Cooking), Boston Herald, USA Today, and the BrainHQ app.
  • Using our Library of Things collection, you can check out items as varied as a metal detector, lawn games, board games, instruments, a pressure washer, hotspots, inflatable movie screen and projector, and more!
  • We haven’t even touched on our Seed Library, Craft Supply Swap, and Puzzle Exchange!
Input Use Library Services Value of Services How Value is Calculated
The per book value ($18) is based by taking the average “buy new” on Amazon.com (not including shipping costs) for the items New York Times Hardcover Fiction bestseller list on the week on June 12, 2022, as measured on June 8, 2022.
The per book value ($11.50) is based by taking the average “buy new” on Amazon.com (not including shipping costs) for the items New York Times Trade Fiction Paperback bestseller list on the week on June 12, 2022, as measured on June 8, 2022.
The per book value ($15.20) is based by taking the average “buy new” on Amazon.com (not including shipping costs) for the items New York Times Young Adult Hardcover bestseller list on the week on June 12, 2022, as measured on June 8, 2022.
The per book value ($10) is based by taking the average “buy new” on Amazon.com (not including shipping costs) for the items New York Times Children’s Picture Book bestseller list and Children’s Series list on the week on June 12, 2022, as measured on June 8, 2022.
The per book value ($12) is based by taking the average “buy new” on Amazon.com (not including shipping costs) for the items New York Times Children’s Middle School Hardcover bestseller list on the week on June 12, 2022, as measured on June 8, 2022.
As of June 2022, the cost for an Audible Plus subscription (allowing for the streaming of an audiobook via Amazon) was $7.95 per month. You can access audiobooks for free via Overdrive/Libby with your card, or borrow physical CDs and Playaways at the library.
As of June 2022, the cost for an Kindle Plus subscription (allowing for the reading of e-books through Amazon) was $9.99/month. You can access ebooks for free via Overdrive/Libby with your card.
As you may know, there are many streaming options available now. The Library is home to the Kanopy streaming service, and has DVDs to check out, with many of the newest and most exciting titles. Maybe we save you a subscription to one of the most popular streaming services out there right now (est. value $5/month).
Have you requested items from other libraries in the consortium or state? The Massachusetts Library Association estimated the value of getting items from other libraries as $25/request in 2013.
Were you aware that the library offers discount passes to many museums in the area, including the Museum of Science, the New England Aquarium, and the Boston Children’s Museum? We estimate that each use of a pass saves you approximately $20.
Did you know that the Topsfield Town Library offers free online access to the New York Times, USA Today, and Boston Herald, as well as database access to the Boston Globe (and much more?) We determined that value based on the cost of monthly access to the Boston Globe online ($27.72). We offer more newspapers to access- for free!
Have you attended any adult programs hosted by the Topsfield Town Library? The Massachusetts Library Association estimated the value of attending each program to be $15/event in 2013.
Have you attended any children programs hosted by the Topsfield Town Library? The Massachusetts Library Association estimated the value of attending each program to be $12/event in 2013.
(i.e. Internet, MS Word, etc.) The Massachusetts Library Association estimated the value of computer use at the library to be $10/hour in 2013.
Have you consulted with one of our fine librarians on staff about research or genealogical questions? We roughly estimate the value of reference assistance at the library to be $7 per question.
Have you used databases available to you through the library, including New York Times Cooking, Consumer Reports, or Ancestry.com Library Edition? We conservatively estimate $5 per use of these resources.
We estimate the value of a room reservation to be $25.

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