Ukuleles and cake tins: Things you didn’t know you could borrow from a library

From popcorn machines to guitars, libraries are offering useful and quirky items to borrow in their ‘Library of Things’ collections.

Transcript

00:00When I say library you probably just think of books but what if I told you

00:06some public libraries will lend you a guitar or let you borrow a cake tin,

00:12seeds or even a couple of cricket bats. The library things is just that little

00:19bit extra that adds value to people's lives and the cost isn't impacting their

00:26engagement. Public libraries across Australia are expanding beyond books

00:32with some offering a library of things, a collection of useful, quirky and

00:38sometimes unexpected items free to borrow. In 2021 on National Backyard

00:46Cricket Day Mackay Regional Libraries in North Queensland loaned out cricket sets

00:52to the community. Alright you go to your library we're gonna go down to the beach

00:57we're gonna play some cricket then I'm gonna return it and it didn't cost

01:02anything and you're not taking up storage in your shed. This kick-started

01:09their library of things program which now features a whole lot more. We have

01:16guitars, ukuleles, drums, keyboards. We have board games that you can borrow

01:22internally. Sewing machines once they're inducted they just grab them and use

01:27them in the library. Like the list goes on and on and I think the great thing

01:32with the library of things is it's it's ticking a box of maybe I'd like to play

01:40the ukulele but I don't have $300 to go buy an entry level and maybe I won't

01:46like it but I can actually borrow it from the library they can attend one of

01:51our ukulele programs take it home keep practicing it and then say yes I'm

01:57willing to make that financial commitment. In regional New South Wales a

02:02Tamworth library has even gone green lending out plant seeds to encourage

02:08community gardening. We thought about the sorts of things that people might want

02:12to borrow and might need occasionally but don't necessarily want to buy. So

02:17have a google or check if there's a library of things near you. You might be

02:22pleasantly surprised at what you can take home.

02:38you