As budgets tighten, people are breaking out their library cards

Some Americans squeezed by high prices are relying more on their local libraries for things like books, streaming services and high-priced items like musical instruments and sewing machines.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8192x5464+0+0/resize/8192x5464!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe1%2F17%2Ff84feec941d585e403b44576a6f1%2Fgettyimages-1327335719.jpg' alt='People study in the Rose Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan on July 06, 2021.'/><p>Some Americans squeezed by high prices are relying more on their local libraries for things like books, streaming services and high-priced items like musical instruments and sewing machines.</p><p>(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5992908' />