Consumer Reports Library Access: How to Read CR Free With a Library Card
Before you buy a car, a washer or a laptop, it helps to see how it tested. Many public libraries pay for Consumer Reports so their cardholders can read its ratings, reviews and buying guides free online. The catch is finding it: libraries list it under different names and menus, and some offer the magazine archive instead of the ratings site. Use the finder to see what nine library systems and New Jersey's statewide program offer, then pick what you are shopping for to see which library tools fit.
Find Consumer Reports at your library
Choose a library to see what it offers, where the link sits on its website and which other shopping tools are listed next to it. Then pick what you are researching to see which library resources fit.
What are you researching?
Consumer Reports at nine libraries and one statewide program
Every entry below offers Consumer Reports online. Most link to ratings and reviews; the two New Jersey entries offer the magazine's articles.
| Library | Listed as | What the library says you get | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC Public Library (DC) | Consumer Reports | Test results, ratings, recommendations and buying guides for thousands of products and services | Research and Learn, then Consumer Reports |
| Sacramento Public Library (CA) | Consumer Reports | Reviews and guides for appliances, cars, health products, electronics and home and garden equipment | Browse and Borrow, Resources, Consumer Reports |
| Los Angeles Public Library (CA) | ConsumerReports.org | Expert reviews on thousands of products, from lawnmowers to laundry detergents | Digital Library, ConsumerReports.org |
| Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (IN) | ConsumerReports.org | Ratings on electronics, appliances, automobiles and many other consumer items | Online Learning and Research, ConsumerReports.org |
| The Seattle Public Library (WA) | Consumer Reports | Product reviews, ratings and comparisons from Consumer Reports magazine | Online Resources, Consumer and DIY |
| Cuyahoga County Public Library (OH) | Consumer Reports | Listed as "Research before you buy" | Digital Library, Consumer and DIY |
| Columbus Metropolitan Library (OH) | Consumer Reports | Ratings, reviews, recommendations and buying advice for thousands of products and services | Resources by Subject, Finance, Money and Consumer |
| Rochester Public Library (MN) | Consumer Reports | Reviews and recommendations for cars, appliances, electronics, software and more | Research and Learn, Consumer Reports |
| Ocean County Library (NJ) | Consumer Reports Magazine | Current and back issues of the magazine; search within the publication for a product | Resources, Databases, Consumer Reports Magazine |
| New Jersey State Library JerseyClicks (NJ, statewide) | Consumer Reports (through MasterFILE Elite) | Full-text Consumer Reports magazine articles back to 1981 | JerseyClicks databases, EBSCO, Consumer Reports |
From each library's own page, checked September 26, 2026.
What you get through the library
EBSCO, a database company, sells ConsumerReports.org to libraries. Los Angeles Public Library and Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library in Indiana both list the service as ConsumerReports.org. According to EBSCO's product page, it covers:
- Subjects: appliances, babies and kids, cars, electronics, health, fitness and food, home and garden, and money.
- Content: product overviews, product ratings, reviews, recommendations, buying guides, money-saving tips and related videos.
- Cars: information on new and used cars.
EBSCO describes it as more comprehensive than the monthly magazine. It also says Consumer Reports accepts no outside advertising and no free test samples, and buys the products it tests.
Privacy. EBSCO says anyone using ConsumerReports.org through a library's account is identified only as "library user."
How to open it
- Find it on your library's website. Look under online resources, databases or a consumer section. Seattle files it under Online Resources, Consumer and DIY; Cuyahoga County under Consumer and DIY in its Digital Library; Columbus under Finance, Money and Consumer.
- Sign in with your library card. DC Public Library, Sacramento Public Library and Los Angeles Public Library all list a library card as required. Sacramento lists it for adults and teens.
- Search or browse. Look up a product type, then compare ratings and buying guides. DC's page links to a tutorial and Los Angeles's page to a quick lesson if you want a walkthrough.
Store links are part of the site. Los Angeles Public Library notes that ConsumerReports.org includes links to commercial retailers and that the library does not endorse or have an arrangement with any retailer listed.
Reading older Consumer Reports issues
For older articles, look for the magazine itself:
- New Jersey residents: the New Jersey State Library says that through EBSCOhost's MasterFILE Elite database, New Jersey residents get full-text access to Consumer Reports magazine, with articles back to 1981. JerseyClicks databases are free to all New Jersey residents.
- Ocean County Library: offers current and back issues, and suggests using the "Search within this publication" link to look up a product. The library says this is provided by the New Jersey State Library, with extra funding from Ocean County Library.
- Print copies: Rochester Public Library in Minnesota keeps printed Consumer Reports material in its catalog and points to ELibrary Minnesota for other Consumer Reports items.
For articles from other magazines, our guide to finding free articles through the library covers the main databases.
Other shopping tools at the library
On several of these library pages, Consumer Reports sits next to other shopping tools:
- Consumers' Checkbook for local businesses. DC Public Library says it compares local products and services with regional reviews, and Seattle says it rates retail stores, service companies and healthcare providers in the Puget Sound region.
- ConsumerLab.com for supplements. Seattle describes it as rating health, wellness and nutritional products on test results published by an independent laboratory.
- Chilton for car repair. Seattle's ChiltonLibrary.com offers repair procedures, diagnostics, maintenance schedules, wiring diagrams and recalls, and Cuyahoga County lists Chilton Library for automotive service and repair manuals.
- Home Improvement at Cuyahoga County, with DIY articles and images.
Before you buy a tool you will use once, check whether your library lends it through a library of things, and our library database guide lists other free research tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read Consumer Reports free with a library card?
Yes, at many public libraries. Seattle Public Library describes its consumer resources as free product reviews for cardholders, and New Jersey's statewide databases are free to all residents. DC, Sacramento and Los Angeles list Consumer Reports with a library card required, and Cuyahoga County, Columbus, Evansville and Rochester (Minnesota) list it among their online resources.
What can I see in Consumer Reports through the library?
Product ratings, reviews, recommendations, buying guides and related videos on appliances, cars, electronics, health, home and garden, money and more, according to EBSCO, which sells ConsumerReports.org to libraries.
Can I read old Consumer Reports magazine issues?
Yes, in some places. New Jersey residents get full-text Consumer Reports magazine articles back to 1981 through the state library's MasterFILE Elite database, Ocean County Library offers current and back issues, and Rochester Public Library keeps printed issues in its catalog.
Does Consumer Reports see who I am when I use it through the library?
EBSCO says anyone using ConsumerReports.org through a library's account is identified only as "library user."
Where is Consumer Reports on my library's website?
Usually with online resources or databases, sometimes in a consumer section. Seattle lists it under Consumer and DIY, Cuyahoga County under Consumer and DIY in its Digital Library, and Columbus under Finance, Money and Consumer.
Does the library earn money from store links in Consumer Reports?
Los Angeles Public Library says ConsumerReports.org includes links to commercial retailers and that the library does not endorse or have an arrangement with any retailer listed.
Sources
Every rule, fee and figure on this page comes from the official page listed here. We read each one on September 26, 2026. Database lists change when libraries renew contracts, so check your own library's online resources page before you rely on one route.
- EBSCO: ConsumerReports.org for libraries: https://about.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/consumerreportsorg
- DC Public Library: Consumer Reports: https://www.dclibrary.org/research-and-learn/consumer-reports
- Sacramento Public Library: Consumer Reports: https://www.saclibrary.org/browse-borrow/resources/consumer-reports
- Los Angeles Public Library: ConsumerReports.org: https://www.lapl.org/digital-library/consumerreportsorg
- Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library: ConsumerReports.org: https://www.evpl.org/research/consumerreports-org/
- The Seattle Public Library: Consumer and DIY: https://www.spl.org/online-resources/consumer-and-diy
- Cuyahoga County Public Library: Digital Library: https://cuyahogalibrary.org/read-watch-listen/digital-library
- Columbus Metropolitan Library: Finance, Money and Consumer: https://www.columbuslibrary.org/resources-by-subject/topics/finance-money-consumer/
- Rochester Public Library (MN): Consumer Reports: https://www.rplmn.org/research-learn/consumer-reports/
- Ocean County Library: Consumer Reports Magazine: https://theoceancountylibrary.org/consumer-reports-magazine
- New Jersey State Library: JerseyClicks: https://www.njstatelib.org/services_for_libraries/statewide_services/jerseyclicks/