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Did you see how much you saved?

Thank you for the amazing response to our new online feature, showing you how much money you saved by borrowing items from us during 2023!

Top savings shared on our Facebook pages include:  

• Jess' family saved a whopping £6626
• Rebecca and her children saved an incredible £2484 
• Ruth's youngest toddler saved £1599
• Becca saved £1130 by reading our books whilst on maternity leave
• Laura saved nearly £900 - and pointed out that using the library meant not having to buy another bookcase, which is another nice saving 
• Angela saved £249 whilst Richard saved £127 and both intend to try to beat that figure during 2024

A large number of our readers told us that they'd saved between £800 and £2500, which we were thrilled to hear!  Thank you to everyone who commented and replied to share their stories.

If you haven't seen how much you saved during 2023, you might be surprised - to find out your personalised saving, simply log into your library account.

Craig asked if we're planning to display savings again next year - and we are, so why not make a note of your saving during 2023 and see if you can beat it in 2024?  

Did you make a great saving?  Share your story on our Facebook pages, or reply to this email to let us know!

Go digital and save even more!

You can also make huge savings by using our digital services.

We have eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers all available for free!

Take your book with you with eBooks and eAudiobooks

BorrowBox offers eBooks and eAudiobooks, and the service includes:  

• Free holds
• No late charges
• Read or listen anywhere by using a portable device

There's a large collection of eBook and eAudiobook titles to choose from, suitable for a wide range of ages.

Having a great eBook on your phone means that you'll never be bored when you're stuck in a queue or waiting for a bus.

Or you can use our eAudiobooks to cheer up your commute by playing one in your car.  We find that listening to a good book makes working through our household chores much less tedious - or you could even lull yourself to sleep with a bedtime story, because BorrowBox has a sleep feature and switches itself off after a set period of time.

Log in to BorrowBox or download the app and start saving.

Make savings with eMagazines

We all know that magazines and magazine subscriptions can be costly, but our amazing service provides you with over 4800 titles to choose from - all immediately available to borrow.

If you've not explored our eMagazines before, there's:  

• No waiting 
• No late charges
• 100s of hobbies and interests covered
• Back copies available - so don't worry if you miss a month!

When a monthly magazine subscription costs between £30 and £100 for just one title, you could make incredible savings by using our service instead.  

Log in to Libby or download the app to start saving.

Free daily newspapers

If you'd like to keep up to date with the news, you could use our digital newspapers and save £100s.  You could save over £600 a year by reading The Times and the Financial Times on our Newsbank service.

We have a wide range of titles, from big national newspapers to local collections.

As well as today's newspaper, there's a large number of back copies - and even articles dating back for up to 25 years, making Newsbank a great resource for historical research, as well as keeping up with your daily news.

Log in to Newsbank to read popular national and regional papers.

Savvy money saving books

Most of us are feeling the pinch and are on the look out for ways to save money - so we've put together a list of books that may help, including:  

• Thrifty recipes
• Gardening tips to grow your own food
• Budget and personal finance advice
• Fashion restyling and recycling
• Handmade gifts
• Fun activities for all the family
• DIY guidance

Find all these and more on our Talk Money book list, available on our online catalogue.  

Learning to drive?

Learning to drive for the first time?  Or are you considering changing your licence to include heavy goods vehicles?  Or maybe you're forever confusing your road signs and you fancy a refresher?

Gear up for your tests with our FREE access to Theory Test Pro, including:

• The Highway Code
• The entire official test question bank
• Hazard perception videos

And it covers a wide range of vehicle categories:

• Car
• Motorcycle
• Passenger carry vehicles
• Heavy goods vehicles

So whether you're learning to drive for the first time, or looking to swap into a different category of vehicle, you'll find everything you need to pass.

Making a purchase?  Why not try Which?

Which? reviews and tests products and services so you can be confident when making your purchases.

Did you know you can use Which? Online for free at your local library?

You'll find a wealth of reviews and material at your fingertips, revealing the must-buys and must-avoids for anything you're planning to spend money on, including:

• Broadband and mobile phone services
• Cars
• Digital devices and tech
• Electrical equipment
• Financial services
• Kitchen appliances

Simply ask a member of staff when you log into one of our public computers, and they'll get you on your way.

Libraries with benefits

At our Customer Service Points trained staff can put you in touch with the council tax / benefits team, or if you need to send them any evidence we scan it over for you.

We also process a range of applications such as:

• Blue Badges - bring your ID to the library and we will take your photo and payment
• Bus pass applications (senior and disabled) - we can check your ID and take a photo
• Railcards - we can check your ID and give you a code to help you buy a one year railcard from National Rail at a discount

Let us be your host

Did you know that some libraries have meeting rooms for hire at very competitive rates? Some also have exhibition or gallery space available.

If you need a training suite, Macclesfield Library has an IT Suite equipped with 10 laptops, WiFi internet access, and MS Office for hire.

If you'd like to book any of these facilities, speak to a member of staff at the library.

More ways to save money at the library

Check out our book sales and give an old book a new home. There are some great bargains to be had!

Don't forget, you can save money on your energy bills by visiting the library to keep warm during the day. You can:

• Sit and relax
• Have a chat
• Use our free WiFi or computers
• Browse and read a book or newspaper

Spread the word

You wouldn't want your friends and family to miss out on all the lovely benefits of joining the library. So, why not share our newsletter with them so they can see for themselves?

Then share the details of how to join the library - don't forget to tell them that's free too.

Missed a month?

Did you know we now have a newsletter archive? So, if you've missed any editions just login to your library account and you'll find the link to the archive.

Budget consultation launched - still time to have your say!

The council recently launched the public consultation about the budget for 2024/25 - and are asking for your views.

We know that costs and demand for council services will significantly exceed the levels of income we had planned for. Many of the pressures we have seen through 2023/24 still apply and are set to escalate further.

The consultation includes a number of proposals to balance the council budget for 2024/25.

Following publication of the draft financial strategy and budget consultation, the council’s service committees will consider the budget proposals at public meetings in January and February.

The decision to approve and adopt the budget will be taken at a meeting of full council on 27 February 2024.

The consultation is open until 23:59 on 28 January 2024. After this date, members of the public can still contact their local ward members about the proposals ahead of the full council decision on 27 February.

To take part on the budget consultation, click on the button below.

We hope to see you soon!

We always welcome feedback about our services. If you have enjoyed this newsletter or have any suggestions for improvement, please send us an email to libraries@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk. 

Alternatively pop into your local library and let the staff know. Thank you. 

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