Terrace Public Library Builds Library of Things

Updated 2017/04/29

Residents of Terrace now have free borrowing access to musical instruments, sporting equipment, a sewing machine, a GoPro, and — coming soon — power tools, all at their public library. TPL’s new inventory joins smaller objects already lent by the library such as binoculars, games, and raspberry Pi kits.

Thanks to a number of donations and bequests to the library, the TPL board was in the enviable position to consider a new initiative to benefit the community. “Geography, size, and economic constraints are the principal drivers of our community’s needs, so we wanted to use the money to address as many of these as possible,” says board chair Melanie Wilke. “We wanted to be sure that whatever we did, it would be a high value offering that kept the library fresh and relevant.”

After the board evaluated a number of options, library director David Tremblay implemented a community survey on what Things would be of most interest to their borrowing public. He also consulted with the many other public libraries in BC offering Libraries of Things to gather information on the how-to and what-if aspects of such an initiative.

Melanie stresses that the decision to offer a Library of Things was not made overnight: “The board actually discussed the implications of such a project for over a year.” Issues for the board to resolve included liability, replacement and repair costs, and how to handle wear and tear.

For more information on Terrace Public Library’s Library of Things, please contact library director David Tremblay at dtremblay@terracelibrary.ca.