Jackson County Library Services (JCLS) will expand its Library of Things collection to include dozens of new items beginning February 1, 2020.
The Library of Things is a collection of items other than books and media that patrons can borrow with a library card. It started at JCLS the fall of 2018 as a ukulele-lending program and has since expanded to provide library-goers access to a wide variety of popular items like wireless hotspots, sewing machines, puzzles, microscopes, telescopes, and giant Connect 4 and Jenga games.
New items will become available Saturday, February 1, including board and card games, pickleball sets, projectors, cameras, a metal detector, air fryer, Instant Pot, sous vide, PA system, green screen, and more.
The collection provides library cardholders access to a wide variety of items—many of which might see use only a few times per year—without the burden of purchasing and storing infrequently used objects.
“We all love to try out new gadgets and experiment with small tools,” said Carey Hunt, JCLS Assistant Director of Support Services. “With the Library of Things, patrons can borrow instead of buy, a choice that’s better for the environment as well as users’ pocketbooks.”
“Our staff looked around at what other libraries across the U.S. are doing, and thought about what they would like to see at the library,” Hunt said. “How the Library of Things grows in the future will be directed by our library cardholders.”
She added that JCLS welcomes patron feedback and suggestions through a comment form at jcls.org/about.
Learn more about the Library of Things and try them out during the Library of Things Mystery Lab program on Saturday, February 1 from 1:00–3:00 p.m. at the Medford Library, 205 South Central Avenue. The Mystery Lab will take place upstairs in the South Wedge area of the Medford Library. The program is open to all ages, but primarily geared to adults since some Library of Things items can only be checked out to those who are 18 and older.
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