When it comes to library loans, books usually come to mind first.
But the Bloomington Public Library wants to expand on that idea, with its new Library of Things collection.
“We still have books, obviously. We have DVDs, CDs, audio books — we still have all of that,” said BPL librarian Allison Schmid. “But on top of that, now we are going to be checking out anything from a giant Jenga set to a play parachute to a leather repair kit.”
The collection has more than 80 objects, divided among five categories of music, health and wellness, technology, arts and crafts, and games.
There's a professional photography lightbox, a metal detector, an acoustic guitar, a telescope, a knitting loom, and so on.
“Anything you can imagine, we’ll have it here for someone to actually take it home for a week and use it,” said Schmid, who is BPL’s cataloging and technical services manager and the lead on this project.
The community’s invited to test drive the collection, which will be spread out in the BPL community room from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The event is free and open to the public.
Checkout starts Monday, but people can place holds on items during Saturday’s event. A two-item limit will be in place, and the loan period is up to one week.
The concept of libraries lending useful objects isn’t new.
The Normal Public Library has its own similar Library of Things, for example. Both Twin Cities institutions also have loaned children's educational kits for quite some time too.
And for nearly 15 years, the nonprofit West Bloomington Revitalization Project has been operating its Tool Library, which as its name indicates has a specific focus area.
“A lot of libraries have already tackled this,” said BPL’s Schmid, and it's been demonstrated to be beneficial to communities. When BPL staff began exploring the idea, they asked other libraries about popular items, and they asked Bloomington library patrons about their own wish lists.
The Golden Prairie Public Library District donated $5,000 to jumpstart BPL’s Library of Things. That district is an independent taxing body, with its own board, but operates out of BPL. It covers the townships of Arrowsmith, Bloomington, Dale, Dawson, and Old Town, as well as parts of Downs.
Creativity, affordability, sustainability
The goal of starting a Library of Things is to stimulate the imagination and promote lifelong learning, and also create affordable options to useful items, said Rhonda Massie, the Bloomington library’s marketing manager.
Right off the bat, we can look to the music and arts categories to inspire creativity, said Schmid, rattling off a list of items people might want to explore like a drawing tutorial that includes poseable figures, or instruments like a kalimba, a thumb piano, and a theremin. One of Schmid’s new favorites is the otamatone — a Japanese electronic musical synthesizer, shaped like an eighth note.
The collection also promotes affordability and is eco-friendly. Some items might not be something needed more than once, so every household doesn't need their own, said Massie. One device helps assess the cause of a “check engine” light, and another scans microchips in pets.
The library's innovation station does have a professional lightbox available for use, said Massie. But perhaps a patron who sells items on an online Etsy account might find it more efficient to bring such a lightbox home and shoot their entire inventory.
Then there's the benefit of sampling before a purchase.
"If somebody's like, 'Well, that seems really neat. I might want to buy that, but I'm not really sure if I'm ready to take that leap,' this offers people the opportunity to take it home, try it out, see if they like it," said Schmid.
Starting next week, the library will have a display with removable item tags patrons can take to the checkout desk. A related QR code can be scanned if the item's already gone, placing a hold.
A few items in the Library of Things:
- Music – 88-key electronic keyboard, electric drum set, synthesizer, acoustic guitar, metronome tuner.
- Health and Wellness – magnifying desk lamp, color blind glasses, yoga dice, blood pressure monitor.
- Technology – portable jump starter, film-to-digital converter, check-engine light code reader, walkie talkies, microscope, binoculars.
- Arts and Crafts – sewing machine, yarn ball winder, leather working tools.
- Fun and Games – disc golf, karaoke machine, pickleball set.
