Libraries of Things: Borrowing to Stop Endless Growth

By Kelley Dennings

Have you ever decorated for a party, repaired your car, or worked in the yard and found yourself in need of an item you don’t own? A birthday banner, a wrench or a hedge trimmer?

You could go out and buy one. But that’s costly for your pocketbook and the planet, especially for something you might only need once.

It makes more sense to simply borrow what you need, but right now our society and our economy are not designed to support sharing or reuse.

Instead, we’ve hitched our wagon to the idea of endless growth. This relies on the ever-increasing extraction of water, minerals and fossil fuels to propel corporate growth and the pressure to keep buying more.  

In the Western world endless growth is the driving force behind capitalism, benefiting few and harming many, but it’s not possible on a finite planet.

Building a Library of Things

One way the Center for Biological Diversity is working to disrupt endless growth and overconsumption is by advocating for libraries of things.

A library of things is a shared community resource where useful items can be borrowed just like books that are in circulation for years. This reduces the demand for new goods whose manufacture generates air and water pollution, contributes to climate change, and can harm wildlife and their habitat.

In collaboration with Shareable and the University of North Florida, the Center worked with a student, campus community members, and the university’s Department of Housing and Residence Life to create the campus’s first library of things. The library includes vacuums, pots and pans, tools, charging equipment, games and other items students said they needed.

Libraries of things can include art, craft and sewing items, crutches, electronics, games, kitchenware, musical instruments, party supplies, sporting equipment and tools. They offer a more environmentally friendly way than consumerism to meet our material needs.

How to Create a Library of Things

There are many benefits to starting a library of things on a college campus, or anywhere. They strengthen community and connection through borrowing. Some host classes where people share ideas and skills. They provide access to items that some people may not be able to afford and can make a home feel more spacious through the removal of stuff that’s used infrequently.

Here are the steps we took to open the University of North Florida’s library of things. You can read more in our how-to guide. If you don’t frequent a university campus and want to build a library of things, check out Shareable’s toolkit.

Step 1: Identify campus community members. Create a list of campus officials, organizations and others who may be interested in starting a library of things or whose approval is required. This may include the sustainability office, housing and residence life, the library or relevant student groups and facilities.

Step 2: Conduct a needs assessment. Interview students to learn which items would be most useful to include. Analyze the data to pick priority items.

Step 3: Identify locations. Create a list of potential locations. This may be a residence hall, the sustainability office, the student union or the campus library. Consider the hours of operation, staffing and security at each place. Once a location is identified, prepare the space so you can keep the items well organized and in good condition.

Step 4: Gather items and recruit people to manage inventory. Create a detailed list of items requested during the needs assessment and check to make sure the items are allowed (for example, air fryers aren’t allowed in most residence halls). Begin collecting inventory. Gently used donations can be acquired through the university move-out program, local businesses or through an email request to the campus community. If funding is available, used items can be purchased through online marketplaces. Decide who will manage the inventory, what the library’s operating hours will be, and how items will be checked in and out.

Step 5: Communicate the launch. Advertise the opening to create excitement, gather more donations and raise awareness about the sharing economy via social media, the campus newspaper or classroom and dorm announcements. Host a launch party to showcase the resources available in the library.

Step 6: Track performance. Keep track of all items to make sure things are returned in working order. Have a plan for replacing items when they are broken or can’t be repaired. Keep track of what’s used most frequently and add more of those items or potentially adjust your return policy for high-demand items.

Learn more about libraries of things and other circular economy projects the Center for Biological Diversity is working on, like food service reuse co-ops and low-waste water distribution for disaster preparedness, at our National Zero Waste Conference session at 5 p.m. ET, Oct. 22.