ENSULIB Webinar #21: Library of Things - A Critical Component of Libraries

Описание: Sponsored by the Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Section (ENSULIB), this webinar is entitled: Library of Things – A Critical Component of Libraries as Access Points to a Local, Resilient, and Sustainable Future. Libraries lending beyond books exist all over the world. In some locations, one can go to the library to borrow a book on how to make soap and obtain the tools to begin creating it, or borrow supplies for a community design meeting with a potluck. One may also turn to the library as a disaster resource center, complete with a borrowable trailer, or try out a local e-trike with a library pass before making an investment. In many neighborhoods, libraries offer events on how to repair items—along with the tools required to do so. They serve as places where intergenerational groups connect over yard games and art activities, and where community members can borrow the tools needed to construct all sorts of desired items, such as a clean-cooking stove, spending their money instead on the consumables required to make these things.

Libraries of things provide access to a wide range of items from gear for adventures to essential wellbeing tools. Together, as librarians, community organizations, and educational event sponsors, we can expand access to this future of lending and help communities overcome hurdles for which we already have decades of experience and solutions. Common questions around Libraries of Things—such as sanitation, loss, and insurance—have established answers. Strategies for supporting a community’s unique needs through specialized collections also exist, with diverse models to choose from. Come learn how to plug into this rapidly growing and increasingly connected system of Libraries of Things, both inside and outside the traditional library world, and discover how they can help you meet your goals.
Speaker: Hazel Onsrud