The average household drill does only a few minutes of actual drilling in its whole life, and the rest of the time it sits in a drawer. Libraries have noticed. In Indianapolis, the public library has been running a Library of Things across six branches: alongside the books you can now borrow sewing machines, tool kits, gardening gear, musical instruments, fishing poles, even a pickleball set. It has gone so well that the collection is spreading across the whole city this year, with five more branches joining every six months.
The idea is quietly taking root around the world, with community run libraries of things lending everything from carpet cleaners to camping gear in hundreds of towns. The maths is lovely: you save the money, you save the cupboard space, and one well loved drill does the work of fifty lonely ones. Next time a job needs a tool you do not own, it is worth a look at what your local library will lend you. The answer is more than you think.
Our short take: details from the Indianapolis Public Library Library of Things program, expanding through 2026, and Ethical Consumer's directory of libraries of things. Photograph: a workshop tool wall, via Unsplash.