Is the Library of Things an answer to our peak stuff problem?
Thu Aug 25 2016Why buy when you can borrow? A new kind of library is gaining popularity in the UK, and the idea is one that could change the way we all live.
"Library of Things" is a friendly space where you can borrow, share and learn with your community. This new social enterprise lending everything from spades to wetsuits is one of a new breed of organisations pitched as a democratic alternative to Uber and Airbnb.
The concept is simple, says 26 year-old co-founder Rebecca Trevalyan. Anyone can become a member, it’s free to join, and up to five items can be borrowed per week. The carpet cleaner is one of the more expensive items but most are charged out at somewhere between £2 (for a garden fork) and £4 (for a bread maker). All are listed in its online catalogue. “The way the Library of Things works is that we own all the things ... and people come to borrow them at a very low cost,” says Trevalyan, who balances her time with a day-job at Impact Hub, a collective of social entrepreneurs and activists in Brixton. “All the items are priced depending on their value and how much people want to borrow them.”
What a great idea! Read the full story here via The Guardian