Need a laptop? A Nintendo game? Try a free rental at Quincy and other libraries

QUINCY − Starting on Wednesday, Quincy's Thomas Crane Public Library will have 100 new offerings for you to check out − and they won't be books.

Joining a growing movement, the Quincy Library of Things invites card-holding members to stop by and borrow a wide variety of everyday household and non-traditional items to make their lives easier or more enjoyable.

Do you think you might like a 3D printer? Take one home for two weeks and see.

"With more expensive items, before you buy, you can try it out," library director Sara Slymon said.

Several other South Shore communities already have a Library of Things and report they are very popular.

How about a ukulele? A sewing machine? Yes, the library has it

You can use your library card to check out a sewing machine for two weeks to make your child's dress.

You can borrow a ukulele for your new music class.

How about a small tent for your child's backyard sleepover, or a canopy tent for a family gathering?

You may want to borrow something you only need for one or two tasks. A hammer. Special cake pans you need just once a year. A mixer.

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The Quincy library says its items will be offered in six main groups: cooking, health and recreation, electronics, hobbies, music and tools.

Anyone with an Old Colony Library Network card in good standing can check out something from the Library of Things. A borrowing agreement must be signed at checkout. Items must be cleaned and placed back in their containers when returned.

The Quincy library's web page will have an updated list of the latest additions. Patrons will browse through the library offerings at catalog computer stations on the circulation floor.

There are "many more amazing non-traditional items," the library said in a statement, including gadgets, games, craft kits, electronics, specialized cookware and niche technology.

You can make sure you see the full moon cycle when you check out a telescope from the library

The loans will be for two weeks, except for telescopes, which you can keep for a month to see the whole moon cycle.

The library will unveil its new Library of Things at a ribbon-cutting event from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at 40 Washington St.

"The Library of Things is an older idea, but it's not well known among the general public," Slymon said.

Slymon launched one in Brookline, where she was library director before she came to Quincy.

Need a tool for a home project? Try the library

Quincy had planned to launch its Library of Things several years ago, but COVID interrupted its plans in 2020. When Slymon became Quincy's library director in 2022, she sat down with her staff to hear their priorities and the Library of Things was near the top.

The funding is coming out of the library's general budget. The 100 items selected for the opening round are all new. No donations of used items were possible because of liability issues. Slymon said Quincy bought items that were well reviewed and of good quality.

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Many residents may need a tool or a household item once but never again, and instead of spending $300 to $500 for something, they can check it out at the library, Slymon said.

"Our homes are full of equipment we hardly use, although it might be useful for occasional specific tasks," Slymon said. "Wouldn't it be better to share among all of us?"

Collections in other South Shore communities have changed with the times.

Even pickleball paddles are rented at libraries

"You never know what people will gravitate towards," Duxbury reference librarian Rose Hickey said.

Because the Duxbury Free Library is next to the town pickleball courts, the library has pickleball paddles and balls to loan out.

Weymouth does not have a Library of Things. Braintree's Thayer Library does and shows photos of Library of Things items on its website.

In Hingham, the public library's technology librarian, Robby St. John, said its Library of Things has been built up with items "people need only occasionally, maybe will use only one or two times, to see if they want to purchase one." That includes canopy tents, virtual reality headsets and projectors.

Scituate launched its Library of Things in 2019.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy launches library of free things to loan out - tools, games more