This quirky story on NPR today prompted me to ponder what other materials are out there for us to borrow. Need a fishing pole? Get it from the Erie County Library, PA. Working on home repairs? The Oakland Public Library is just one place to borrow a large assortment of tools for DIY. If you need a musical interlude after fixing your house, ask the Instrumentarium at Urbana-Champaign, where the Vanilla collection features an alto saxophone, but the One-Off group has an alto glockenspiel! Strangely, one library blog listed actual bones (from a medical school) but I was unable to locate the school. Perhaps the most unique “item” that is available for lending is a person– yes, a real live person to talk to and learn a new perspective from via the Living Library. I came across many other categories of useful stuff as well. Before purchasing an energy meter or planting seeds, just stop and ask around at a library… you never know!
Shira S.
