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Library of Things – A Critical
Component of Libraries as Access
Points to a Local, Resilient, and
Sustainable Future
Presented by Hazel Onsrud
12 March 2026
8:00 am PDT (5:00 pm UTC)
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SPEAKER: Hazel Onsrud
Adult Services Librarian
Curtis Memorial Library
hazel@curtislibrary.com
Libraries of
Things
Critical Components of
Libraries as Access Points
to a Local, Resilient, and
Sustainable Future
Hazel Onsrud
Public Librarian at Curtis Memorial Library
hazel@curtislibrary.com
IFLA ENSULIB
March 6, 2026
Libraries of Things (LOTS)
Library workers are amazing. Thank you!
At the LOT Mutual Aid Group we have a posse of experienced humans to help
you
We have proven this works in traditional libraries (public, specialty, academic
and more), community organizations and elsewhere
We have solutions for storage, insurance, cleanliness, safety, repair,
consumables, and so much more...
...are everywhere. Join us!
Engage & Escape with a LOT
The modern library and existing LOTs
The potential of our sharing ecosystems
Diverse LOT lending models with varied collections
and abundant programming opportunities
An small library’s LOT to meet community needs and
missing literacies
How to join the fun
A modern library
is a community center that is free and open to all. In many locations,
we can be the emergency room for societal issues.We provide:
A Help Desk and empathetic humans​
Public bathrooms, internet​and phones
A space anyone is welcome to hang out in​(without purchasing
anything)
Areas for silence, large collaborations, virtual meetings and
intimate tutoring​
We lend books, online services, and things for free, to anyone
with a library card​
Resource swaps, programs for haves and have nots
and so much more...
LOTs exist in all types of
libraries around the globe
Curtis Memorial Library
We try not to lend hate,
dangerous germs, or
underwear, but besides
that we’re open minded...
Our sharing ecosystem
could provide
Many things from your public library
Electric snowblowers, leaf vacuums, wood-chippers and lawn
mowers from your street share
Specialty gear from a trailhead locker
Unique photography equipment from your coworking space
Fancy art tools from your friend group
Large-scale dehydrators, canners and freeze dryers from
your co-op’s commercial kitchen space
A toy share from your local religious organization
Library passes to your local maker-space or rental shop for
the occasional use of a table saw or kayak
and so much more
Lending books and beyond
Large and small libraries
Inside traditional libraries, and out
Temporal lending
Lending of consumables or specific kits
Providing access with passes
Topical LOTs
Program-based LOTs
They all work, and we have decades of knowledge about insurance options,
safety supports, working lending processes, display and so much more.
There are many LOT Models
and examples
Lending of books and beyond
Big, small and just right for
your community
In Brazoria, Texas, USA they’re letting patrons
borrow a trailer and other disaster response tools
In Talin, Estonia, they’re delivering chainsaws and
gardening tools to patrons on a bus
In Jakarta, Indonesia, tools are aesthetically
displayed in a high-end library at a cultural institute
In Reykjavík, Iceland, repurposed cabinets have
been providing dwellers with seasonal tools
In rural New England USA areas, LOTs are being
rotated between libraries on trailers or stored at
trail heads
and so much more..
Traditional, academic, public,
school and specialty libraries
Meet the Candidates Nights
Great examples out of traditional libraries
Sharable.org
Lend things for specific
dates and times
Provide consumable items through Plant Swaps, Seed
Swaps, Art Supply Swaps, Hardware Swaps and more
Lend passes to experiences
Scrap Craft and Traditional Skills Classes
Topical LOTs
Library programs with LOT
In Woodcroft Library in the City of
Onkaparinga, Australia, has taught
cooking classes, gardening workshops
focused on preserving, pickling etc.,
green energy and how to make your
house cheaper to run, how to knit etc.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, USA CALS has
repaired bikes, built gardens, picked up
litter through the city, built bird houses,
removed invasive plants etc...
In Maine, USA hundreds of programs
have been run with LOT tools
Sustainable Libraries Initiative
Identifies sustainability as a core value, and a
goal we can help our communities achieve.
This future is near
Scan any tool, toy, sport,
kitchen or garden item, to
find it and reserve it at
your local lending library
...but we need
more folks
What are the right LOTs for
your community?
Sustainable Development Goals
At CML we lend a couple thousand
items that are not traditional books
Libraries of things has helped us address...
Financial Literacies
Science & Impact Literacies
Digital Literacies
Food and Growing Literacies
Musical Literacies
Recreation Literacies
Cultural Literacies
STEAM Literacies
Traditional Skills Literacies
Repair Literacies
Health Literacies
Civic Literacies
...
We focus on actions to fit our community
Libraries can help their communities reach...
The Sustainable Development Goals
Regional stability, with metrics such as those in Goodwill NNE’s Framework
District health metrics
Local objectives tied to census data
and more
We can’t do it all, but we can all play a role, and a LOT may be able to help.
...and tools to help us take action
A few benefits ...
Saving money
Providing space
Lending an ear
Optimizing time
Increasing access to essential skills
Improving safety
Cultivating joy
Library programs with
LOTs can be
Inclusive Food Programs
Repair and adaptation classes for all
We lend all sort of items, with all
sorts of inspirations
drawdown.org
Programs and tools can help
one engage and escape
Don’t forget that music, food and art program and tools can also bring folks together.
Communal joy and fun can be powerful connectors across our differences.
Inclusive Food Programs
Varied tools for growing, processing,
cooking, preserving and sharing food
...
...and information, internet access,
storage, programs and books needed
to use these resources and access.
And so much more...
Local STEAM Climate Solution Kits
Repair Kits
Health programs and kits to support community volunteer (at
a local woodbank, or trailhead and get fit at the same time)
Dementia support tools
English Language Learning and Cultural Literacy for all
and so much more
A diversity of solutions will be our strength. If our library
can do this starting with a shelf, local volunteer
skillshares, and donated tools, imagine what we all could
do together.
Your sharing ecosystem may provide
Many things from your public library
Memory equipment (tape converters, VHS converters, film
digitizers etc.) from a specialty library
Access to rice processing tools, cassava shredding or industrial
corn grinding during underutilized hours at a local business
Access to shared lesson material (microscopes, language games
and more) from your school library
Specialty no-till agriculture equipment from your farm cooperative
A toy share from your local religious organization
Library passes to your local rental organizations for the occasional
use of an electric trike or truck
Specialty medical and health equipment from your academic library
and so much more
Let’s Play Together
Connect with:
LOT Mutual Aid Group
Sharable
Sustainable Libraries Initiative
We can help you create and improve your offerings.Together, we can
access training, funding solutions, templates and more.
We have solutions for storage, insurance, cleanliness, safety, repair,
consumables, and so much more...
Not sure where you fit? Email me! hazel@curtislibrary.com
THANK YOU. I can’t wait to learn from you.
Thank you
for joining us
today!
All webinar recordings can be
found here:
https://www.ifla.org/g/environment-
sustainability-and-libraries/ifla-
ensulib-webinar-series/