What Is a Library of Things? How Borrowing Works

By the Public-Libraries.com Editorial Team · Updated October 4, 2026

What is a Library of Things?

A Library of Things is a lending collection of useful objects rather than books. The idea is simple: there are plenty of things most of us need only occasionally — a power drill, a sewing machine, a telescope, a carpet cleaner, a GoPro for one trip — and buying each one outright is expensive and wasteful. Instead of everyone owning a tool they’ll use twice a year, the library buys it once and lends it to the whole community. You borrow it with your library card, use it, and bring it back for the next person. According to the reference encyclopedia Wikipedia’s entry on the library of things, these collections commonly span kitchen appliances, tools, gardening equipment and seeds, electronics, toys and games, art, science kits, craft supplies, musical instruments, and recreational gear.

In other words, a Library of Things extends a library’s core mission — free, shared access — from information to physical stuff. It’s one of the clearest examples of what you can borrow at a library besides books, and it sits alongside other non-book programs like seed libraries, museum passes and “libraries of things” for specific hobbies.

Where did the Library of Things come from?

Lending objects isn’t new — libraries have done it for well over a century. Wikipedia notes that St. Louis patrons could borrow tennis rackets and board games as early as 1894, Newark, New Jersey lent framed paintings in 1904, and the Los Angeles Public Library added thousands of used toys to its catalog in 1936. The modern “tool library” took off in the 1970s: the Berkeley Public Library Tool Lending Library in California opened in 1979 with roughly 500 tools, funded by a federal Community Development Block Grant, and became a model for similar programs nationwide.

The specific branding “Library of Things” is more recent. The Sacramento Public Library in California launched a program under that name in 2015, lending items like sewing machines, musical instruments and a GoPro camera, and it drew national coverage that inspired many imitators. Around the same time, a grassroots “Library of Things” in London helped popularize the term abroad. Today hundreds of U.S. public libraries run some version of a Library of Things.

What can you borrow from a Library of Things?

Collections vary enormously from one library to the next — each builds its own based on community demand and budget — but a handful of categories show up again and again. The table below pairs the most common categories with a real U.S. library that lends them, so you can see the range (and the specificity) of what’s actually out there.

How does borrowing from a Library of Things work?

Mechanically, it works a lot like checking out a book, with a few extra rules because the items are valuable and sometimes fragile. You browse the library’s Library of Things catalog (usually a dedicated page on the library’s website), place a hold or check out an available item, pick it up at the designated branch, use it, and return it by the due date. Loan periods are typically shorter than for books — often one to three weeks — and some high-demand items can’t be renewed.

Real examples show the pattern. The Sacramento Public Library lends Library of Things items for two weeks with no renewals, and lets you place up to three reservations at a time. The Salt Lake County Library sets most loans at 7 days (longer for some kits like Chromebooks and blood-pressure monitors) with a maximum of five items. The Central Arkansas Library System lends mobile hotspots for two weeks, renewable up to five times. Because policies differ, always check the rules on your own library’s page before you reserve.

Who can use a Library of Things, and is it free?

In most cases you need a library card from that library system and an account in good standing, and many libraries set a minimum age because the items are expensive to replace. The Sacramento Public Library, for example, requires borrowers to be 18 or older with a card owing less than $5 in fees. The Salt Lake County Library limits Library of Things checkouts to adults with an account in good standing. The Central Arkansas Library System likewise restricts tools and hotspots to cardholders 18 and up.

The items themselves are almost always free to borrow, just like books — the library already paid for them. What can cost money is misusing them: returning an item late, damaged, or incomplete may trigger a late fee or a replacement charge (Central Arkansas, for instance, lists a 10¢-per-day late fee and a set replacement cost for its hotspots). If you don’t have a card yet, start with our guide on how to get a library card.

How to find a Library of Things near you

Not every library has one, and there’s no single national catalog that’s guaranteed complete, so the most reliable approach is to check your local library directly — look for a “Library of Things,” “Tool Library,” or “Things” link on its website, or ask at the desk. To make it easier, we maintain a verified, state-by-state directory of U.S. public libraries that lend a Library of Things, with the specific items each one offers.

Frequently Asked Questions