Library’s philosophy

SAVE MONEY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Borrowing instead of buying things that you rarely use saves your money and the environment. Can’t you see the connection of these two great things? Here’s an example:

This summer we go camping. Should we buy or rather borrow the tent?

Borrow the tent for your vacation and save more than 2,000 CZK. As a bonus, your home will not become a warehouse of things you barely use. The tent you would buy in a store instead of borrowing it would be manufactured just for occasional use and would not be utilized as much it could be. Borrowing things will reduce the negative impact of industry on the Earth and increase the awareness of people trying to find an alternative way to a comfortable and sustainable lifestyle.

We believe that it is better for our community and the environment that 1 item serves 10 people each year than if 10 of the same items served only once a year.

BUILD THE COMMUNITY

The Library of Things offers citizens living in cities to be part of a community (i.e. society, group of people) that helps each other, is inspiring and benefits its surroundings. We wish to become a place where, regardless of your social role or financial capacity, we are able to create a pleasant and dynamic environment for you. We not only borrow things but also organize public events, workshops, clothes & flower swaps, etc.

Where does the Library of Things concept come from? To what dimensions can this initiative grow?

The concept of sharing is not that new. We can read on the Internet that the first tool rental company was founded in 1978 in Ohio, USA. The first Library of Things was established in Britain and soon afterward it was opened in Canada or Germany. Some libraries were created as separate projects and community centers, others are, for example, affiliated to classical book libraries. In large cities, libraries of things already operate in large premises with different departments and advanced IT systems. We can also find a contactless library based on storage boxes.

In the Czech Republic, the first library was founded by the Goethe Institute in Prague in 2017, the second library also in Prague in Hybernská street. The third library is our Brno library, which has been operating since the spring of 2019.

Something to read:

Public libraries are expanding the sharing economy by adding Libraries of Things to their catalogs

A self-serve locker-style rental system – the Library of Things

Queens Library’s ‚Tiebrary‘ Lends Neckties to Job-Seekers in Need