Sacramento Library of Things – 3D Printing Lab – Jim Wilson NY Times
Dear Commons Community,
The Library of Things is a new service from the Sacramento Public Library System that offers “things” for checkout—such as sewing machines, musical instruments and video games—just like the library offers books. The New York Times has a featured article today reviewing Sacramento and other libraries around the country that are expanding their services beyond books.
“Libraries aren’t just for books, or even e-books, anymore. They are for checking out cake pans (North Haven, Conn.), snowshoes (Biddeford, Me.), telescopes and microscopes (Ann Arbor, Mich.), American Girl dolls (Lewiston, Me.), fishing rods (Grand Rapids, Minn.), Frisbees and Wiffle balls (Mesa, Ariz.) and mobile hot spot devices (New York and Chicago).
Here in Sacramento, where people can check out sewing machines, ukuleles, GoPro cameras and board games, the new service is called the Library of Things.
“The move toward electronic content has given us an opportunity to re-evaluate our physical spaces and enhance our role as a community hub,” said Larry Neal, the president of the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association, which represents 9,000 public libraries. “The web is swell,” he added, “but it can feel impersonal.”
Libraries, arguably the original sharing economy, have long circulated art prints, music and movies, and more recently have added tools. But services like the Library of Things and the “Stuff-brary” in Mesa, outside Phoenix, are part of a broad cultural shift in which libraries increasingly view themselves as hands-on creative hubs, places where people can learn new crafts and experiment with technology like 3-D printers.
The Ann Arbor District Library has been adding to its voluminous collection of circulating science equipment. It offers telescopes, portable digital microscopes and backyard bird cameras, among other things — items that many patrons cannot afford to buy. Dave Menzo, a 28-year-old musician, created a whole album by borrowing electronic music equipment, including a photocell-controlled synthesizer called aThingamagoop.
Online experiences only go so far, said Josie Parker, Ann Arbor’s library director. “You can’t download a telescope to take on a family picnic in the country and watch the stars come up,” she said.
Public libraries in New York, Chicago and elsewhere offer devices that can connect borrowers’ phones, tablets and laptops to mobile Wi-Fi hot spots.
“This is the most convenient thing that has ever happened to me,” said Aida Rivera of the Bronx, a grandmother of nine who checked out what she called a “very cute, pocket-sized device” from the New York Public Library. It has allowed her to reconnect with childhood friends via Facebook, explore fitness and health sites, keep up with the news and talk with her grandchildren on Staten Island via Skype.”
Great idea!
Tony
