Morningstar Free With a Library Card: Which Libraries Offer It and How to Get In

Written by Mustafa Bilgic, Operator Sources checked: September 28, 2026
✓ Last Updated: September 2026 | Checked against official sources by Mustafa Bilgic, Operator

Morningstar sells a library version of its investment research, and many public libraries offer it to their cardholders. Libraries use names such as Morningstar Investment Research Center, Morningstar Library Edition and Morningstar Investing Center. Some let you in from home with your card, Los Angeles Public Library offers it only at its Central Library, and some systems carry Value Line instead. Use the finder below to check your library. This page covers library access and is educational only, not financial advice.

Morningstar library access finder

Choose your library and where you want to use it. The finder shows whether the library lists Morningstar, how you get in and whether Value Line is on the same list, from each library's own page.

Your answer will show here.

Fund fee calculator

Comparing two funds you found in Morningstar or Value Line? Enter the amount, the years, a yearly return you assume before fees, and each fund's expense ratio.

Your comparison will show here.

Educational only, not financial advice. The return is your assumption, not a forecast.

Libraries that list Morningstar, and where Value Line fits

We read the Morningstar page or the full database list of each library below. Thirteen list Morningstar, under names such as Investment Research Center, Library Edition and Investing Center. Four other systems did not list it when we checked, but each one lists Value Line.

LibraryStateMorningstarValue Line
Denver Public LibraryCOListed; library cardYes: weekly Investment Survey
The Seattle Public LibraryWAListed in A-Z resourcesYes
Austin Public LibraryTXListed; limited seatsYes: tablets, not phones
Cuyahoga County Public LibraryOHListedYes: 3,500+ stocks
Columbus Metropolitan LibraryOHListedYes: Research Center
DC Public LibraryDCLibrary Edition; card requiredYes; card required
Henrico County Public LibraryVAFrom home with your card numberNot checked
Madison Public LibraryWIFrom home if your home library subscribesNot checked
Boston Public LibraryMAListedNot checked
Santa Clara County Library DistrictCAListed; newsletters in PDFNot checked
Charlotte Mecklenburg LibraryNCCard requiredNot checked
San Diego County LibraryCALinks for inside and outside the libraryNot checked
Los Angeles Public LibraryCACentral Library onlyNot checked
Dallas Public LibraryTXNot on the listYes; login required
Milwaukee Public LibraryWINot on the listYes; remote for city cardholders
Memphis Public LibrariesTNNot on the listYes; inside and outside the library
OC Public Libraries (Orange County)CANot on the listYes: 3,300+ stocks

From each library's own page, read September 28, 2026 (Boston, Santa Clara County, Charlotte and Madison from Internet Archive copies made between September 2025 and February 2026). Not checked means we did not read that library's full database list.

What the library version includes

Morningstar's own page for the product, as captured in 2023, calls it a stock research center that helps members of a library community research investment opportunities, with independent data and analysis on stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded products. The 2026 library pages describe the same core:

  • Coverage. Los Angeles Public Library lists over 14,500 stocks, 24,800 mutual funds, 1,500 ETFs and 700 closed end funds, plus analyst reports on over 3,500 securities. Austin quotes 30,000 mutual funds, stocks and ETFs, San Diego County more than 30,000 securities, and Madison says information on over 100,000 investment offerings, with complete reports for about 2,000 funds and 1,000 stocks.
  • Screens and portfolio tools. Denver says you can screen stocks or funds and see how they work together as a portfolio, Seattle mentions calculators and portfolio tools, and Columbus lists portfolio analysis.
  • Analyst views. Denver says you can see what analysts have to say, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library says you get many premium features of Morningstar.com, including independent opinions on thousands of stocks and mutual funds.
  • Newsletters. Santa Clara County Library District includes the DividendInvestor, FundInvestor, StockInvestor and ETFInvestor newsletters in PDF.
  • Courses. Denver points to the Investing Classroom, and San Diego County to self-study courses on stocks, bonds, ETFs and financial planning.
  • College savings. Denver lists 529 College Savings Plans next to stocks, funds and ETFs.

From home, or only in the library?

Henrico County Public Library has its own Morningstar login page: from outside the library you enter your library card number. San Diego County Library gives separate links for inside and outside the library. Madison Public Library, a member of the South Central Library System, says remote use is for cardholders whose home library subscribes, and in-library use works at all subscribing libraries.

Los Angeles Public Library is the exception in our list: Morningstar is only available at its Central Library. DC Public Library and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library mark it card required, and Denver lists it as available with a library card. The Seattle Public Library describes its online resources as free research tools you use with your library card.

Seats can run out. Austin Public Library says its subscription allows only a limited number of concurrent users and asks you to sign out so others can get in. Each library page in the finder has its own link to start from.

Value Line, the other investment service at the library

Value Line sits next to Morningstar in many library database lists, and some libraries carry only one of the two. When we read the full lists of Dallas Public Library, Milwaukee Public Library, Memphis Public Libraries and OC Public Libraries, none showed Morningstar, but all four list Value Line.

  • Denver describes The Value Line Investment Survey as published weekly and tracking about 1,700 stocks in over 90 industries. Its Timeliness Ranking System ranks stocks from 1 to 5 for probable market performance over the next 6 to 12 months. Denver also lists Value Line University for investing basics.
  • Austin's subscription covers 1,700 stocks in The Value Line Investment Survey Plus and 1,800 in the Small and Mid-Cap edition, and says Value Line works on iPads and Android tablets but not on phones.
  • Milwaukee lists the Selection and Opinion, Special Situations and Summary and Index for 6,200 heavily traded companies, plus Investment Education tutorials.
  • OC Public Libraries quotes ratings on over 3,300 stocks, and Cuyahoga County 3,500+ stocks.
  • Memphis lists the Value Line Research Center with Library Elite and supplements such as the Special Situations Service and the Options Survey, usable inside and outside the library with a card.

For other business research at the library, see our guides to library databases and small business research.

How the fee calculator works

The calculator takes each fund's expense ratio off the yearly return you enter, then compounds the result. With the starting values, $10,000 over 20 years at 6% before fees ends at about $31,770.15 with a 0.05% expense ratio and $26,532.98 with a 1.00% ratio, a gap of $5,237.17. Real returns change from year to year and are not guaranteed, so use it to compare costs, not to predict results. This page is educational only, not financial advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get Morningstar free with a library card?

At many public libraries, yes. The Seattle Public Library calls its online resources free research tools you use with your library card, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library says its version gives you many premium features of Morningstar.com.

Can I use library Morningstar from home?

Often. Henrico has a login page where you enter your card number, San Diego County Library has a separate link for outside the library, and Madison allows remote use if your home library subscribes. Los Angeles Public Library offers it only at its Central Library.

What is Morningstar Library Edition?

It is the name DC Public Library uses. DC says it combines the fund and stock information needed for in-depth research and portfolio construction, covering stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.

Why can't I get into Morningstar through the library?

Some subscriptions limit how many people can use it at once. Austin Public Library says its subscription allows a limited number of concurrent users and asks you to sign out when you finish. Also check whether your library offers it only on site.

Is Value Line available at the library?

At many libraries. Denver, Seattle, Austin, Columbus, Cuyahoga County, DC, Dallas, Milwaukee, Memphis and OC Public Libraries list it. Denver describes the weekly Value Line Investment Survey as tracking about 1,700 stocks.

Related Library Guides

Free Library Databases Library Small Business Research Wall Street Journal Access Through the Library Consumer Reports Access Through the Library Free Library Resources Guide Library Career Resources

Sources

Every rule, fee and figure on this page comes from the official page listed here. We read each one on September 28, 2026. Morningstar's site and the Boston, Santa Clara County, Charlotte and Madison library sites block automated readers, so we read them from Internet Archive copies (dates in the list). Educational only, not financial advice.