Sacramento Public Library spokesman Malcolm Maclachlan said the idea is that a lot of library patrons live in urban settings and don’t have the money or storage space for items they don’t use often.
“If you need to use a tool once, you don’t necessarily need to own it,” Maclachlan said.
Lori Easterwood, who’s managing the Library of Things project, said the library itself owns a laminator that employees rarely use, and many people have similar items sitting unused in their home or garage. Such items may be better candidates for borrowing than purchasing, she said, noting that 94 people voted for adding a laminator to the Library of Things.
“That’s the whole idea,” she said.
The library has already purchased six sewing machines, which got the most responses in the first round, according to Easterwood. The library expects to begin offering them for checkout in mid-February. The library is also purchasing a bike-repair station as a result of the second round.
Leave a Reply