To find the total number of books available for loan, we need to follow these steps:
1. First, we find the total number of books in the library. We do this by adding the number of nonfiction books, fiction books, and reference books together.
- 3489 (nonfiction books) + 8617 (fiction books) + 1240 (reference books) = 13346 books
So, there are 13346 books in total in the library.
2. Next, we calculate the number of books actually available for loan. Since the question states that all books except the reference books can be loaned, we need to subtract the number of reference books from the total number of books.
- 13346 (total books) - 1240 (reference books) = 12106 books
Hence, there are a total of 12106 books available for loan in the library.