This is a relatively new concept which is growing across the world. The Library of Things presented in this short film below was created as a direct result of the Open Works project in Lambeth so we thought it would be a good opportunity to share the story.

A Library of Things is exactly what it says – it’s a depository of things that people can share such as power drills, sports equipment, gardening tools, food processors – anything really. People put forward whatever it is they are happy to share and the library creates the mechanism which enables the sharing. The library can be virtual or physical – it depends on the resource available and commitment of the community.

“…the average amount of time that a power drill is used in its lifetime is 10 minutes.”

Either way, we love it at the Ideas Hub because it challenges the belief that everyone needs to buy their own resources. Apparently the average amount of time that a power drill is used in its lifetime is 10 minutes! And it’s a fantastic way of everyone participating regardless of how little time or energy they have. Everyone has something they could share.

Photo by Barn Images