A library of things is a place that lends out objects, and it can also refer to any group that offers such lending. Items often include kitchen tools, gardening tools and seeds, electronics, toys, art supplies, science kits, musical instruments, and sports equipment. These collections are especially helpful for items that are only needed sometimes but are hard to store, like special cooking tools or unique technology. The types of items in these libraries are very different from the books, magazines, and media that traditional libraries usually focus on.

The library of things movement is becoming more common in public, school, and special libraries around the world. There are also separate organizations, such as tool libraries, toy libraries, community sharing centers, and independent groups. The term "Library of Things" was first used in the United Kingdom after a community project started in London in 2014. This project was inspired by the Toronto Tool Library. In the United States, a librarian in Sacramento, California, created a similar program with the same name in 2013. This program received a lot of media attention and led to many similar programs starting.

The Share Shed in Totnes, UK, is creating the first mobile library of things. These libraries often include educational activities and public events. These borrowing centers are part of the sharing economy. In Wales, Benthyg Cymru has created a network to help people share knowledge and items with each other.

Historical precedents

The idea of libraries lending items other than books is not new. In 1894, people in St. Louis, Missouri, could borrow tennis rackets and board games from the library. Other early examples include framed paintings in Newark, New Jersey (1904), piano rolls in Evanston, Illinois (1907), and stereoscopes in Portland, Oregon (1909). In 1936, the Los Angeles Public Library added 7,126 used toys to its list of available items.

Types of collections

Libraries now offer art rentals for patrons to borrow prints, posters, paintings, and other visual art. Many libraries also provide arts and crafts equipment and supplies for use in the library or for checkout. These tools may include sewing machines, knitting kits, die-cutters, papercraft tools, jewelry repair and embroidery kits, scrapbooking supplies, and button makers.

Libraries have long allowed borrowing of electronics like e-readers, tablets, and laptops. Now, they are expanding the types of electronics available through the library of things. These items include mobile hot spots, projectors, scanners, GoPros, graphics tablets, digital and film cameras, video games, converters (devices that change vinyl, cassette, and VHS formats to digital files), green screens, and video cameras.

Libraries are adding instrument collections, often with sheet music, tuners, amps, and educational resources. The Free Library of Philadelphia started its Musical Instrument Collection (MIC) in 2016, which includes an electric guitar, mandolin, electric bass, ukulele, acoustic-electric guitar, and a banjo. Lopez Island Library in Washington introduced a musical instrument "petting zoo" with items like acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, cello, clarinet, flugelhorn, French horn, electric keyboard, recorder, ukulele, viola, and violin. In Oregon, Jackson County Library Services offers a table top electric drum set and a kalimba thumb piano. Music Broth in Scotland has about 3000 instruments, including guitars, ouds, домра/domra, violins, dulcimers, electronic music equipment, and event equipment since 2017.

Specialized kitchen equipment such as food dehydrators, popcorn machines, ice cream makers, air fryers, instant pots, and Kitchen Aid blenders are available for home use. Cake pans and novelty bakeware have become popular additions, with some libraries creating separate collections for these items.

Seed libraries are now part of public library collections. Many require users who borrow seeds to plant them and return saved seeds from the harvest to the collection the next year. Some seed libraries have caused disagreements with state agriculture departments. Collections may also include agricultural equipment, landscaping tools, and gardening supplies like rakes, hedge trimmers, pruners, hand tools, leaf blowers, and lawn mowers. Some libraries also offer community gardens where users can check out a plot for a growing season.

Home monitoring tools such as thermal cameras, leak detectors, air quality meters, infrared thermometers, energy meters, and other devices are available in some collections for borrowing.

Some libraries provide equipment for outdoor recreation, often working with local Parks and Recreation departments. Items include fishing rods, frisbees, whiffle balls, bird watching kits, and sets for croquet, badminton, bocce, or pickleball.

Libraries also offer party supplies for social events, such as bubble machines, cotton candy makers, karaoke machines, chocolate fountains, or boomboxes.

The Maker movement has influenced libraries, leading to the availability of items like littleBits, Arduino, Makey Makey, Raspberry Pi, robotics kits, coding toys, 3D printers, and vinyl and laser cutters. Science tools such as digital microscopes, telescopes, light meters, and themed science kits are also available for borrowing.

Tool libraries have become popular in many cities as free-standing borrowing centers. Libraries also include tool collections for home improvement, construction, and fine woodworking, often with educational programs.

Toy lending centers have existed for many years, dating back to the Great Depression. Recently, libraries have added toy collections, including puppets, board games, American Girl dolls, puzzles, blocks, and a wide variety of other toys.

The library of things movement continues to grow, including items like tiebraries, taxidermied animals, museum passes, and Santa Claus suits. For example, Palm Harbor Public Library in Florida offers a collection for role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons (the Mark Mazurek Role Playing Game Collection).

List of organizations

• Allen County Public Library – Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States
• Altadena Libraries – Altadena, California, United States
• Ann Arbor District Library – Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
• Banff Public Library – Banff, Alberta, Canada
• Bangor Public Library – Bangor, Maine, United States
• Berkeley Public Library – Berkeley, California, United States
• Beaverton City Library – Beaverton, Oregon, United States

Bibliothek der Dinge, Bochum, Germany

• Boston Public Library – Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• Bremen City Library – Bremen, Germany
• Bridges Library System – Waukesha County, Wisconsin and Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States
• Brookline Public Library – Brookline, Massachusetts, United States
• Capital Area District Libraries – Michigan, United States
• Cary Memorial Library – Lexington, Massachusetts, United States
• County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries – San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
• Charles M. Bailey Public Library – Winthrop, Maine, United States
• Clinton Essex Franklin Library System – Clinton County, Essex County, and Franklin County, New York, United States
• Curtis Memorial Library (Brunswick, Maine) – Brunswick, Maine, United States
• Deerfield Public Library – Deerfield, Illinois, United States
• Denver Public Library – Denver, Colorado, United States
• Dover Town Library – Dover, Massachusetts, United States
• Elmhurst Public Library – Elmhurst, Illinois, United States
• Englewood Public Library – Englewood, Colorado, United States
• Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries – Washougal, Washington, United States
• Framingham Public Library – Framingham, Massachusetts, United States
• Glencoe Public Library – Glencoe, Illinois, United States
• Glenview Public Library – Glenview, Illinois, United States
• Hartford Public Library – Hartford, Connecticut, United States
• Highland Park Public Library – Highland Park, Illinois, United States
• Hillsboro Public Library – Hillsboro, Oregon, United States
• Houston Public Library – Houston, Texas, United States
• Islington Libraries – Islington, London, United Kingdom
• Jackson County Library Services – Oregon, United States
• Jefferson Parish Library – Metairie, Louisiana, United States
• Keene Public Library – Keene, New Hampshire, United States
• Kitchener Public Library – Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
• Kitsap Regional Library – Kitsap County, Washington, United States
• La Grange Park Public Library – La Grange Park, Illinois, United States
• Lake Forest Library – Lake Forest, Illinois, United States
• Lincolnwood Public Library District – Lincolnwood, Illinois, United States
• Livingston Public Library – Livingston, New Jersey, United States
• Maitland Public Library – Maitland, Florida, United States
• Matteson Area Public Library District – Matteson, Illinois, United States
• Mesa Public Library – Mesa, Arizona, United States
• Niles – Maine District Library – Niles, Illinois, United States
• Pasadena Public Library – Pasadena, California, United States
• Pasco County Library Cooperative – Florida, United States
• Pinellas Public Library Cooperative – Clearwater, Florida, United States
• Reading Public Library – Reading, Massachusetts, United States
• Richland Library – Richland County, South Carolina, United States
• Robbins Library – Arlington, Massachusetts, United States
• Sacramento Public Library – Sacramento, California, United States
• Salt Lake County Library – Salt Lake County, Utah, United States
• Skokie Public Library – Skokie, Illinois, United States
• Somerville Public Library – Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
• Springvale Public Library – Maine, United States
• St. Charles Public Library – St. Charles, Illinois, United States
• Sweetwater Public Library – Sweetwater, Tennessee, United States
• Telluride Public Library – Telluride, Colorado, United States
• The Urbana Free Library – Urbana, Illinois, United States
• Ulm City Library, Ulm, Germany
• Waterloo Public Library – Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• Watertown Free Public Library – Watertown, Massachusetts, United States
• Washington-Centerville Public Library – Centerville, Ohio, United States
• Wayland Free Public Library – Wayland, Massachusetts, United States
• West Chicago Public Library – West Chicago, Illinois, United States
• Wilmette Public Library – Wilmette, Illinois, United States
• Winnetka – Northfield Public Library District – Winnetka, Illinois, United States

• allerleih e.V. – Kassel, Germany
• Belfast Tool Library – Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Benthyg – Cardiff, Wales
• Bibliothek der Dinge / Knižnica vecí – Goethe-Institut, Bratislava, Slovakia
• Borrow Don't Buy – Plymouth, England
• Borrow It! – Islington, London and Welwyn Garden City, England
• Brunswick Tool Library – Melbourne, Australia
• The Chicago Tool Library – Chicago, Illinois, United States
• Circle Centre Lund – Lund, Sweden
• De Spullenier – Utrecht, Netherlands
• Edmonton Tool Library – Edmonton, Canada
• Edinburgh Tool Library – Edinburgh, Scotland
• Glasgow Tool Library – Glasgow, Scotland
• Halifax Tool Library – Halifax, Canada
• Hull Library of Things – Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
• Ilkley Thingery – Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England
• Islington, London, UK Borrow It!
• Knjižnica REČI – Ljubljana, Slovenia
• La Manivelle – Geneva, Switzerland
• La Manivelle – Lausanne, Switzerland
• Leihbar – Bonn, Germany
• LEIHOTHEK – Münster, Germany
• Leila – Berlin, Germany
• Leila – Leipzig, Germany
• Leihlager – Basel, Switzerland
• Llani Library of Things – Llanidloes, Wales
• Library of Things – Prague, Czech Republic
• Library of Things – London, England
• Knihovna věcí Brno – Brno, Czech Republic
• Library of Things – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Library of Things – Kitchener, Ontario
• LUULA – Heidelberg, Germany
• Music Broth, Scotland (Musical Instrument Library)
• Northeast Seattle Tool Library – Seattle, WA
• Phinney Neighborhood Association Tool Library – Seattle, WA
• Santa Rosa Tool Library – California, United States
• Share Bristol – Bristol, England
• SHARE:Frome – A Library of Things – Somerset, England
• SHARE:Oxford – Oxford, England
• Share Shed – Brisbane, Australia