A borrowing center, borrowing shop, borrowing bar, item library or

library of things A library of things is any collection of objects loaned, and any organization that practices such loaning. Objects often include kitchen appliances, tools, gardening equipment and seeds, electronics, toys and games, art, science kits, craft sup ...

is a library of household items and tools, usually organized as a volunteer cooperative,

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, or operated by the local

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

. Borrowing centers are part of the

sharing economy The sharing economy is a socio-economic system whereby consumers share in the creation, production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods, and services. These systems take a variety of forms, often leveraging information technology and the ...

, which was termed in 1984 by Harvard economist Martin Weitzman. In contrast to a rental store, which offers many of the same items, borrowing centres are operated on a non-profit or collective basis. The concept of a borrowing center is not new. Historically some public libraries have offered items beyond print and audio-visual media, such as toys. The concept is also similar to toy libraries, which have existed since at least 1935, and

tool libraries A tool library is an example of a library of things. Tool libraries allow patrons to check out or borrow tools, equipment and "how-to" instructional materials, functioning either as a rental shop, with a charge for borrowing the tools, or more c ...

. One of the better-known borrowing centers is the Sharing Depot in Toronto, Canada.

Similar Terms/Concepts

Borrowing center is not a popular term to be used, Tools Library shares the same or similar functions and concept as borrowing center and this term has been used more often. The concept of opening tools library is to provide tools which are not daily necessity and to promote the idea of sharing with others. Also it is an sustainable action to save resources on earth.

Borrowing Centers All Over the World

North America

Tools Library has a very high popularity in the United States, especially in the West Coast, and there is a website “Find Your Local Tool Lending Library - Local Tools”, which you can find closest Tools Library to you. 1.Tool Library in Berkeley, USA The First Tool Library started in 1979 in Berkeley, California, and now there are more than 40 tool libraries in North America. 2.Tool Lending library in Oakland, USA Tool Lending Library offers all kinds of practical tools as well as books, videos and DVDs. And it is free to Oakland, Emeryville, and Piedmont residents and property owners. 3.Sharing Depot in Toronto, Canada The Sharing Depot has been called as Canada's First

and it was opened in 2016.

Europe

Through a screenshot from the live “Map of Tool Libraries and Libraries of Things” at Localtools.org, borrowing center is much less common in Europe than in North America. And the reason why there are fewer borrowing center in Europe is unsolved.

Asia

There is merely no this kind of centers in Asian counties, so there is a potential market to develop borrowing centers in Asian countries.

References