This chart explains how we came up with the figures and retail costs used for calculating the value of your library usage. Some values are estimates and/or averages based on retails costs of 2007.
| Item | Estimated Retail Value | Values Explained - January 2008 |
| Book Borrowed | $20.00 | Estimated average cost between hardcover & paperback |
| Magazine Borrowed | $4.00 | Estimated cost to purchase a popular periodical issue |
| Movies Borrowed | $4.00 | Sample video rental at video store |
| Book on Tape Borrowed | $30.00 | Average price between downloading and purchasing
an audiobook |
| Museum Passes
Borrowed (per person) |
$8.00 | Admission price for one adult to the Christa
McAuliffe Planetarium |
| Magazine Use in Library | $4.00 | Estimated cost to purchase a popular periodical issue |
| Interlibrary
Loan Materials |
$25.00 | Average cost for loans in New Hampshire |
| Meeting Room Use per Hour | $50.00 | Estimate |
| Adult Programs
Attended |
$15.00 | Average cost for one adult to attend a show or
program |
| Children's Programs Attended | $12.00 | Average cost for one child to attend a show or
program |
| Hours of Computer Use (i.e. Internet, MS Word, etc.) | $12.00 | Sample hourly rate at a copy center |
| Newspaper
Articles Viewed Online |
$2.50 | Cost to download an article from one of New
Hampshire's newspapers |
| EBSCO Database
Searching (number of months used) |
$20.00 | Minimum cost for monthly access to sample online database |
| Reference Questions | $8.00 | Estimated cost per question |
The Chesley Memorial Library's Library Use Calculator is based on the spreadsheet developed by the Massachusetts Library Association and adapted for web use by the Maine State Library and the Chelmsford Public Library.