LIBRARY OF THINGS – Borrowing Beyond Books

Curtis Memorial Library has a large inventory of Things to borrow. These items can be browsed by category and description below or seen throughout our Nonfiction shelves. Oversize items can be fetched by staff. A listing of all kits is available in Minerva.

You may reserve Things for checkout just as you do a book. By checking out a Thing you agree to the Borrowing and Use Guidelines. Anyone over 18 may purchase a Curtis Memorial Library card and use this collection.

Let us know what else we should lend, or browse more of our community’s ideas at our registry. We are always looking for more items that are a good fit for our collection. Learn why we have a Library of Things and how we support the UN Sustainable Development Goals by exploring our videos at the bottom of the page. Libraries of Things, Tool Libraries and other community sharing tools exist all over the world. Need help? Get in touch: helpdesk@curtislibrary.com

Thank you to our many generous community members, including the following organizations:

Why lend Things?

Learn more about the importance of sharing, how to create a Library of Things in your community, and more with these videos: 2022 Maine State Library Conference – How to Create and Run a Library of Things: A Case Study from a Maine Public Library, 2022 Maine Climate Discussion, Things for English Literacy, Library Program Ideas to Support the Sustainable Development Goals, Lending Beyond Books at the 2021 Maine State Library Conference, Plant Library Videos, and the 2019 Minerva Innovation Award – Transportation and more.