The Strathmore Municipal Library has given some statistics on how much local readers saved through renting books.
According to the library's Facebook page, $1,275,314 was saved between January and August. Director Rachel Dick Hughes said that this number does not account for digital resources or physical items such as musical instruments.
"The value number is kind of fun, but it isn't entirely representative of how much people have saved by using the library," said Dick Hughes.
According to her, the number also included readers who took out the same book several times.
"It gives you a bit of an idea of how well-used the library is here in Strathmore," added Dick Hughes. "Over 51,000 items were borrowed out of our library this year."
Dick Hughes added that children tend to take out the same book several times, while many adults only take a book out to read once before trying something new.
As for the items not counted, Dick Hughes claims that over 15,000 digital resources were borrowed from the library. This includes e-books, audiobooks, digital magazines, and more.
"Although physical items are not going anywhere. People still love to hold a book."
Other digital items the library provides include car repair manuals, newspaper archives, and Freegal Music, which gives library users free access to digital songs.