To estimate the cost of your library telescope, review the information provided below.  

1) Funding

Funding your telescope program is always a consideration, but it might not be as challenging as you think. Based on current pricing and your location, you should be able to purchase a Library Telescope for less than $400.00 USD. In the continental USA, thanks to free shipping, the cost could be $350.00 USD or less.

Various funding methods have been used by different libraries, including 1) self-funding, 2) funding from individual donors or organizations like "friends of the library," 3) writing grants, and 4) winning awards or prizes. If you can generate excitement about launching the library telescope program in your area, someone will usually step up to provide the necessary funding.

2) Purchase

a) Continental USA

If you want to fully implement the standard program by purchasing a telescope from High Point Scientific, your costs will include the cost of the telescope and the cost of two missing items.

NOTE: This section presumes that you are purchasing a fully modified library telescope from High Point Scientific.  If you are purchasing a second-hand Orion StarBlast, Zhumell Z114 or other telescope that you plan to modify yourself, your costs will vary.  Please visit the Legacy Telescope section of our website for guidance on how to modify legacy telescopes.

Core Telescope

High Point Scientific, our new supplier of the Library Telescope Program for the continental USA program, has committed to building a customized telescope for our program.  This telescope is estimated to be available in March or April 2025.

In the meantime, High Point Scientific acquired closeout stock of Zhumell Z114 telescopes from Celestron and made modifications based on our recommendations. Thus, you can purchase these telescopes with the modifications already in place.

A Few Items Missing from the Camera Bag

The modified telescope purchased from High Point Scientific is missing two items typically included with the library telescope. Both are designed to fit conveniently into the camera bag attached to the telescope.

• Item #1 - An index-card sized user manual: Library Telescope Program has developed an indexed-sized user guide which you can print at your local library or local print shop.  FREE Download
• Item #2 - Constellation Guide: We recommend adding a constellation guide for use by the patron.  From program inception, we have recommended the National Audubon Society Pocket Guide – Constellations (ISBN 9780679779988) for insertion into the camera bag because of its convenient size and low cost.  But other guides will work too.  The Audubon Guide can be purchased at many locations online including Amazon, Acorn Naturalists.

b) Outside Continental USA

High Point Scientific ships internationally which creates the possibility of shipping a fully modified library telescope to your library.  However, shipping costs and duties could make the price unreasonable, which means you may need to seek other product alternatives.  We recommend that you reach out to High Point Scientific first, to see if the pricing will work.  If not, make the best choice that you can. Please contact us with questions.

3) Maintenance kit

Your library will need to build a maintenance kit so that you can regularly service your library telescope.  The content of your kit will vary based on the telescope that you have purchased but will generally include

• Extra batteries
• Cleaning supplies
• Zip ties, laminate to repair labels, extra ropes,
• Tools, such as a screwdriver, scissors, Allen wrench (to remove the eyepiece)
• Collimation tool (to realign the mirror for optical performance)

If you have more than one branch, you will need a kit for each location.

4) Optional purchases for patrons

Some libraries choose to purchase additional items for patrons, such as a beginner’s astronomy book, a Moon map, a plastic planisphere, binoculars and other helpful things.

5) Cost of telescope annual maintenance

If handled properly, the primary ongoing costs for the library telescope are the replacement cost of batteries for the red dot finder and cleaning supplies. 

Additional costs may arise if the telescope is mishandled, or parts are lost. It is challenging to provide precise estimates for repair costs, as costs can vary significantly by library.

Generally, most Library Telescopes remain in use for many years with reasonable maintenance. Although rare incidents of damage do occur, repairs are typically straightforward. A 10-year lifespan for a Library Telescope is reasonable, and many have lasted much longer.

6) Importance of registering your library outlets with the Library Telescope Program

The Library Telescope Program maintains a clickable world map of participating library outlets. Each listed location is a place where patrons can check out a Library Telescope and/or Library Binoculars. If a library has twenty branches where patrons can check out a library telescope, we want all twenty branches registered.

We encourage libraries, educational institutions, and other organizations providing a free library telescope program to register their locations with us. Registration is free.