A LIBRARY OF THINGS
Have you ever needed a tool for just one small job? Maybe you wanted to hang a picture on the wall, but you had no drill. Or maybe your family was going camping for one weekend and had no tent. Buying these things costs a lot of money, and after the job they often sit in a cupboard for years. Now there is a better way.(lines 1–7)
A library of things works like a book library, but people borrow tools, tents, sewing machines and even games for a few days. These libraries are very popular in big cities, because many people there live in small apartments and have no room to keep large things. In some libraries, people wait outside on Saturday morning before the doors open. They want to be first, because the most popular items, like ladders and carpet cleaners, are gone by ten o'clock. Borrowing is cheap: a drill costs one dollar for a week. When someone brings an item back, a volunteer checks that it works and cleans it for the next person. Some people could buy a cheap tool online in a few minutes, but they still use the library. They say the world has too much rubbish, and they do not want to throw away things that break after a year. A library helps them use the same things again and again.(lines 8–17)
Volunteers at a library of things must know a lot about tools, because people often ask them how to use a machine safely. They also need to be patient. Many visitors have never used a drill before, and a volunteer may explain the same thing ten times in one day. The work is not paid, but most volunteers say they enjoy it very much. They learn new skills, meet their neighbors and can borrow anything they want for free.(lines 18–22)