A SPECIAL KIND OF LIBRARY
Last September, Jenny Briggs moved to Geneva, Switzerland, to study at the university there. She rented an apartment where she planned to live for three years. Jenny liked everything about the apartment except the color of the walls – they were bright pink. She decided to paint them white. However, she did not own paintbrushes or a ladder, and she did not want to buy them. Fortunately, there is a special library in Geneva, and she went there to borrow the things that she needed.(lines 1–9)
The library that Jenny went to does not have any books. Instead, it has things that you don't expect to find in a library – for example, suitcases, toys and kitchen equipment. People pay a fee to become members of the library. Then they can borrow any item from the library and keep it for two weeks.(lines 10–13)
This type of library is called a "sharing library," and many cities in Europe have one. Each sharing library has a website where people can see all the items in the library. They can also check when an item that they need is available. They can then reserve* the item for the days that they want it. It will be ready when they go to collect it.(lines 14–17)
There are two main ways that a sharing library gets the items that it lends. "There are many people who own things that they don't want anymore. They give them to us because they want other people to be able to use them," says Paul Keller, who works at the library in Geneva. "There are also people who own things that they don't use very often. They like the idea of sharing, so they give these things to us."(lines 18–22)
When Jenny finished painting her apartment, she decided to have a party there with her friends. On the morning of the party, she went back to the library and borrowed a machine for making popcorn. "We were all so happy at the party," said Jenny. "We enjoyed spending time together in my new home. And everyone said the walls looked wonderful."(lines 23–26)