Inspired by me learning that I can check out solar panels (hiking sized, not house sized) at the library.
Tools, it’s really handy when I needed a thermal camera for a project and didn’t feel like spending hundreds for a tool that would get used once.
How is the renting process for those?
At least at my library, there’s basically just a separate form you have to sign to say that if you chop your hand off with a saw, you won’t hold them liable, and I think there are more strict limits on how long you can rent things, and what the penalties are for being late.
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A robot set for children. The robot is called Dash. It can be programmed with a tablet or laptop using special apps with a neat UI. We had one for two weeks and it was a lot of fun.
If we’re talking about the library at the college I go to, besides the wireless hotspots for students that need it, probably all the foreign language DVDs and DVD player (most likely portable)if you don’t have one.
My local library system has tools, kitchen implements, a recording studio, musical instruments, stem kits for kids, video games, and art.
They need a better inventory system, though, cause all the non-book items are inventoried alongside the books. If you want to rent a shovel, you will see every book with “shovel” in the name before you see any actual shovels.
Not able to checkout, but my local library has a tiny maker space you can go in and use. It includes some crafting supplies, a sewing machine and a 3D printer. For using the 3D printer they have a stamp card you pay for at the start for hours of printing. It’s not expensive, it’s there mostly to help pay filament and prevent people from doing super long prints without thinking about it. For checking out they have movie and series DVDs and board games
Original art (paintings and sculptures) by local artists. They csn be checked out for three months at a time. It’s really nice to have some original art in your home even if it it’s not by a big name.
Also, I can easily access most of my country’s important newspapers’ online articles that are normally behind a paywall.
Damn, renting out art? That’s actually pretty cool.
Our local library is really cool, it has a recording studio, a makerspace with 3D printers, and a service where you can borrow tools. You can even borrow a radon detector!
I’m just old enough to clearly remember pre-internet life and library use, so the coolest thing my library has in my opinion is the huge catalogue of books available at my fingertips through their app. No physical item to worry about means no risk of late fees either, it just returns itself if I don’t before the rental is up.
There are, like, household tools and stuff available as well as a good catalogue of movies on disc. I avail myself of those now and again, but I constantly have a book or two borrowed. That’ll always be my favorite thing my library has.
I use my public library app for reading too. However I am surprised how limited the selection is. It seems like every book I look for is unavailable online as well as on paper. I guess that’s what life is like when you prefer non-fiction.
Don’t know where in world you are; I’m USA but my state actually likes funding public libraries. Sorry to hear yours are lacking like that, man : /
Danish libraries provide an online streaming service, where you can watch 2-3 movies a month for free. It’s awesome! They even had Everything Everywhere All At Once before any other streaming service here.
Yeah Filmstriben is really good! They also have some really good lesser known movies that are really difficult to find anywhere else.
Theremin
a metal detector and a bocce ball set
Zoo and museum tickets
You don’t take it home, but my library has digitizing machines. You can digitize hundreds of old photos in minutes (it pulls them through and scans them like a deck of cards in a shuffling machine, so fast! And it is super sensitive so no/low risk of a photo jamming), and it can scan front and back at once, for those photos granny labeled on the back in her sweet cursive. You can digitize old home movies all the way back to those circular reel movies. All for free, as much as you want. The equipment is thousands of dollars and they just let me walk in and play with it. It’s incredible
That is super cool! I should see if I can do that at mine
That sounds so great. Do you know the device’s product name? Which library do you get this from? I’d like to try it out in my library.
I don’t want to dox myself publicly, but I’ll DM you a link to the page on my library’s site! They don’t have device names listed but there are descriptions of what they do and pictures of the devices so if you’re familiar maybe you can just figure it out?
My library has really good access to online catalogs with ebooks, audiobooks, music, and movies. I rarely come across a fiction book I want to read that isn’t available, all without even having to go into the physical library.
“Lots of books” may not be the answer you were expecting, but the volume of media they have access to is truly notable compared to any other library system I’ve ever been a member of.
