This easy-to-understand summary is suited for students and language learners. The content has been condensed and scientific references have been omitted. The full context can be found in the complete version in standard language →
Libraries have been lending more than just books for a long time. Back in 1894, people in St. Louis could borrow tennis rackets and board games. By 1904, a library in New Jersey was lending out framed paintings. In Germany, toy-lending libraries (called Ludotheken) have existed since the 1970s, and art-lending libraries (Artotheken) let people borrow original artwork. These traditions planted an early seed: why should lending stop at books?
Need to do some home repairs? We have power tools—a drill, circular saw, and jigsaw. For outdoor work, there are garden tools, shovels, and a broom. We also have extension cords and a portable power station. And since we’re part of this movement, we always keep a bike pump on hand. Need to get around town? Borrow one of our city bikes—they come with a basket built in.
Want to get outside and have fun? Take the basketball or ping pong set. Grab the mobile speaker and some chairs and enjoy the sun. Prefer a quiet evening? We have books, a projector for outdoor movie nights, and Wi-Fi if you need it.
We’re always adding new items, so check back often. We use Pumpipumpe to manage our inventory—take a look to see what’s available and get in touch when you need something. Hope to see you soon!
How It Started in the US
The first known tool-lending library in the US opened in 1943 at the Grosse Pointe Public Library in Michigan. It started with about 25 tools, donated by a local Rotary Club who wanted to encourage young people to work with their hands. The library stayed the only one of its kind until the mid-1970s. In 1976, Columbus, Ohio opened the second—this time run by the city, offering free tools to homeowners and renters.
For a long time, most people credited the Berkeley Tool Lending Library in California as the one that started it all. It opened in 1979 in a trailer, with one staff member and 500 tools. More recent research, though, has shown that Grosse Pointe came first. By the late 1970s there were a few dozen tool libraries in the US, but many shut down—they were hard to run by hand, and cheap products became easy to buy.
The German Movement
In Germany, the turning point came in 2010, when Leila—short for Leihladen, meaning “lending shop”—opened in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood. By 2012, it had a clear system: bring an item, borrow what you need, return it clean. Everything was tagged with a loan number, just like a library. Leila’s values were simple: use things instead of owning them, reuse instead of throwing away, share instead of dividing. It won a major German sustainability award three years in a row.
Some researchers have called this shift—turning libraries into places where you can borrow everyday objects alongside books—the biggest change in the history of libraries. The idea spread from Berlin to 15 locations across 8 European countries, including other German cities like Leipzig and Heidelberg.
A Global Revival
By the mid-2000s, most of the early US tool libraries had closed. Then two things happened around 2008–2009: the financial crisis left many people short on money, and cheaper digital tools made these libraries easier to manage. New ones opened across the US—in Sacramento, Chicago, and beyond. Between 2013 and 2015 alone, the number of tool libraries in the US grew from about 40 to more than 60.
Beyond Tools
The concept kept growing. Today, Libraries of Things lend kitchen appliances, garden equipment, electronics, toys, games, art, science kits, craft supplies, musical instruments, and sports gear. The name “Library of Things” caught on in the UK around 2014 and independently in the US around 2013. Researchers argue that sharing through these libraries can cut down on waste and energy use—without making life worse. Studies in Germany show people join mainly to save money, for convenience, and to connect with others.
The idea behind all of it is simple: the library model—free, shared access to things—doesn’t have to stop at books. It can extend to everything we need.
