#UK: New #LibraryOfThings offers help in #ToughTimes'

Ben Mellor, 8 March 2025

"A new Library of Things will 'reduce waste' and help people struggling for money, organisers say.

"It will operate from #BeestonLibrary in #Nottinghamshire and open in the coming weeks, although an exact date has not yet been set.

"The service will allow people to borrow #HouseholdItems, rather than books, such as carpet cleaners, sewing machines, and children's party sets.

"Fiona Hartley, an organiser, said: 'These are typically things that might be a bit more expensive, and then you only use them once or twice, and then they sit in your cupboard unused.'

"She said times were tough at the moment and "this is just something that helps people save a bit of money and a bit of space in their homes".

"The project has received funding from the Beeston Civic Society and Broxtowe Borough Council to help with the purchase of items - totalling £1,500.

"This money will be spent on purchasing supplies and items to stock the library.

"Ms Hartley said there was a 'growing movement' behind Libraries of Things nationwide. Similar projects have been set up across the wider #EastMidlands.

"Peter Cribb, the district manager at Inspire, which runs Beeston Library, said he was 'excited at the potential'.

"'It's not something we've done before, you know we do loan out non-book items, but they're on a one-off basis,' he said.

"When the service starts, people will use an app to book an item they wish to use. Library staff will then retrieve the item.

"The maintenance of the items and the app will be operated and paid for by the volunteer groups, Mr Cribb said, and the library's role is to act as storage.

"Karrie Stainer is the chairwoman of the volunteers and said she first had the idea for the Library of Things over one year ago.

"However, she struggled to secure funding for the project until recently.

"'The underlying motivation really comes from #environmental issues, not being wasteful of stuff, not throwing stuff away,' she said."

Source:
bbc.com/news/articles/c5y4pyl7…
#LibrariesRule #Libraries #LibrariesOfThings #SharingEconomy #SolarPunkSunday #BorrowDontBuy #Degrowth #CircularEconomy

#California: Need Help Fixing Your Broken Stuff? Volunteers at the #HumboldtCounty #RepairCafé in #ArcataCA Will (Most Likely) Fix It for Free!

by Isabella Vanderheiden / Wednesday, March 26

"You know that broken lamp that’s been sitting in the corner of your garage for the last decade? You know, the one with the busted pull chain and persnickety cord your college roommate gave you? Yeah, that one. Do you think it might be time to get that thing fixed?

"What if I told you there is a place you can go to have your lamps rewired, your vintage denim mended, your bicycle tires patched, your weed wackers restrung and your great-grandmother’s heirloom necklace soldered — all for free?

"Sounds too good to be true, right? Not so! On Sunday, April 6, volunteers and staff with Arcata’s Recreation Division will host the first Humboldt Repair Café, a free event at the Arcata Community Center where people can take their broken stuff (electronics, clothing, jewelry, furniture, crockery, small appliances, etc.) to be repaired by local fixers. If you can carry it, chances are, they can fix it.

"'The rule is it has to be small enough that you can carry it in by yourself,' volunteer coordinator Wendy Ring told the Outpost. 'We won’t be able to take in refrigerators and things like that. We’ll have a retired electrician to work with smaller electrical appliances. We also have some IT specialists to help people with their computers. We have experts at putting fancy patches on clothes and another person for bicycle repairs. This is our first Repair Café, but we have quite a variety of people!'

"The upcoming event is part of an international movement, which originated in Amsterdam in 2009, to combat '#ThrowawayCulture,' promote #sustainability and teach people practical repair skills. 'We just bring our skills and fix stuff together,' Ring said.

"'The Repair Café movement is trying to change consumer culture and say, ‘No, we can’t just throw things away because they don’t just disappear,’ she continued. 'This is a way of making the things that we have last longer and teaching people how to fix things by watching our volunteers as they’re doing repairs. It’s also community building, which is something that we really need right now.'

"While the event is free, volunteers may request a donation if they need extra materials for repair. In some cases, it may take volunteers a little longer to diagnose the issue and get the parts needed for the fix.

"'If we don’t have the part on hand, we may ask you to come back next month,' Ring said, adding that she hopes to host the event once a month. 'Sometimes, it’s going to be a multi-step repair. We do have some people who have 3D printers who will be able to make parts for people. … We’ll also have little handbells around, and when a repair is made, we’ll ring the bell and have a mini celebration.'

"Asked what she would be taking to the Repair Café, Ring said she has a Kindle that needs fixing, some clothes her dog has chewed on and a jacket with a broken zipper. 'I put a collection of beautiful beach pebbles in my jacket pocket, and I’ve never been able to unzip it,' she said. 'That was a year ago. I can sew a little bit, but I can’t do zippers!'

"Cullen Groom, recreation supervisor for the City of Arcata’s environmental services department, is helping to support the program on behalf of the city, which is allowing the Repair Café to use the community center’s senior room free of charge."

FMI: lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/mar/…
#RepairCafesCalifornia #SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafes #RepairReuseRecycle #BuildingCommunity