Books and DVDs weren’t what Ralph Mandarino wanted when he went to the Grosse Pointe Public Library.
The 75-year-old retired businessman checked out a tree lopper and a tape measure, two of the more than 100 tools available to patrons of the suburban Detroit library.
In a number of communities across the U.S., it’s possible to borrow tools, musical instruments, fishing poles and much more from the local public library. The trend expands the traditional role of the library as a community resource for free knowledge. Libraries see the programs as a new way to offer residents a chance to learn — just not necessarily with a book.
“It doesn’t make sense to buy it and then to have to store it,” said Mandarino, who used the lopper to trim branches on his nearby property.
Libraries in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Oakland, Calif.; Burlington, Vt., and Skokie, Ill., among others, feature what Ann Arbor District Library Associate Director Celeste Choate calls “unusual collections.”
“What we want to do is provide an added benefit to the community and provide them with things they might not have access to otherwise,” said Choate, whose library offers telescopes, art prints, energy meters and drums among its varied holdings.
According to Carolyn Anthony, president of the national Public Library Association, libraries are not offering specialty items as part of an effort to stay relevant in an ever-changing world. Rather, she said, they simply are adhering to the long-stated mission of the public library to have jointly owned resources available to the community.
While that pool at one time may have consisted almost exclusively of books and periodicals, it now might include a heat gun and a putty knife, both of which are available at the Oakland Tool Lending Library.
“This has been going on for a long time. It’s not like we’re suddenly threatened and have to do something about it,” said Anthony, who also is the director of the Skokie Public Library.
Still, the growing popularity of e-readers and online resources probably has played some role in spurring libraries to get creative with their offerings.
“I can tell you this: You can’t download a telescope,” Choate said.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
