Allowing people with a library card to take out items such as a projector or a power washer, the Indian Valley Public Library’s new Library of Things was started in 2023 and has approximately 20 items among three collections.
The library also has dozens of clubs that people can join.
There are three collections of items in the library, these include toys that children can play with, sensory items for people with autism and ADHD and the regular collection of things that people may not need or can not afford.
“Our Library of Things is exactly what it sounds like. It is items that you may use occasionally, items that you may need once in a lifetime or items that you want to try out before you buy,” library director Tracey Reed said.
The Library of Things gets its resources from two different sources. One way that they obtain items is by purchasing them with library funds or grants. The other way is the library getting items donated from people who go to the library.
“Some people end up with a power washer, and then they donate it,” outreach services librarian Nicole Husbands said.
They have other versions of the Library of Things geared more towards young children.
”We have a collection of toys, so that might be large Lego bricks, or it might be a big wooden toy,” children’s librarian Angela Buckley said. “Those are great for when kids are looking for something new to play with and mom and dad don’t necessarily want to buy something new.”
There is also a version for kids with autism and kids with ADHD or a sensory processing disorder.
“So, they might be things like a weighted vest or a jumping board that’s like a little mini trampoline or a rocking chair,” Buckley said.
Some other items in the Library of Things are sensory bags that have a lot of items that could be comforting for some people.
“We have sensory bags that are handed out that have fidgets, noise canceling headphones, sunglasses and theraputty in them as well as a weighted stuffed animal,” Buckley said.
The library also has a lot of volunteer opportunities beyond stocking shelves and helping check out books.
This program makes sleeping mats for the unhoused so they do not need to sleep on hard or uncomfortable surfaces.
“What that does is it uses plastic bags, shopping bags, that are donated to the library, and then they’re cut into pieces of plarn, and then woven into mats for unhoused people,” Reed said.
The library has the opportunity to have the Library of Things and is able to provide all of its other programs because it is the job of the library to provide what the community needs.