Australian Library of Things and the service of sharing

As their website states – ‘The Australian Library of Things (ALoT) Network is not an organisation. We are a network of organised volunteers from libraries around Australia who come together around issues that matter to us. We are passionate about the benefits LoTs provide to our communities and want to see all LoTs prosper.’

And the ALoT network currently supports over 40 Libraries of Things with more popping up all of the time.

ALoT Convenor David Paynter shared this about the community.

“The miracle is this, the more we share, the more we have.” Thank you Spock for your wise words, and we see this played out every week around Australia as everyday Aussies head down to their local Library of Things to borrow from an ever growing collection of community sharing hubs. Some go by Tool Libraries, Sharing Sheds, or Libraries of Stuff, what ever their chosen name they all have one thing in common, a passionate and dedicated group of volunteers enjoying building community connections and reducing waste and emissions, one loan at a time.

If you are new to the Library of Things (LoT) space, they work just like a book library however as their inventory they contain hand and power tools, camping gear, kitchen appliances, gardening tools, sporting equipment, kayaks, sewing machines, party equipment plus a host of other super useful but only occasionally needed household items. The type of items ranged is virtually limitless and and guided by what each community would like to see in their local LoT.

These mainly not for profit and volunteer run organisations hold in their inventory a vast range of items available for members to loan at no cost after joining for a very low fee, often less than the cost of a single tool or ‘thing’. Many items are donated in good condition and lovingly maintained and safety checked by passionate volunteers, keen to extend the useful life of our resources through reuse and repair. With such low joining fees these sharing hubs not only work to reduce members carbon footprints, they also remove the barriers some people in our community face by being locked out from using the equipment they need, or having enjoyable experiences, simply because they cannot afford to purchase an item outright. We live in a country of abundant consumer goods, and by pooling items surplus to an individuals needs, we can declutter our garages and storage cupboards, all whilst providing opportunities for others. Why buy when you can borrow?

Find out more about the ALot network, where your closest share library is or how to start your own at the ALoT website.