Library of things: borrow and live sustainably together!

Library of things: borrow and live sustainably together!

In recent years, an exciting concept has been established in Austrian cities: the "library of things". It is an innovative initiative that goes beyond the classic range of books and enables people to borrow everyday objects. Whether tools, travel utensils or even musical instruments - more and more libraries are opening their gates for these sustainable alternatives to buy new purchase. Orf Salzburg reports that this not only saves money, but also protects the environment.

The idea behind the library of things is simple: "Rent instead of owning" should promote the use of objects on the one hand and, on the other hand, reduce incorrect purchases and lack of space in your own four walls. Many household appliances such as sewing machines or waffle iron are often unused in cupboards, while others would like to borrow them. Thus, the common use is not only understood as a resource conservation, but also as a way to strengthen the sense of community. Successful implementations in cities such as Traiskirchen and Graz, where the libraries, known as Dingeborg, have been showing this for a long time with a good example. The Lower Austria website informs about the social and ecological advantages of this initiative.

The advantages of common use

"borrowing instead of owning" has many other advantages. For example, common use reduces the need for raw materials and thus also reduces production, transport, packaging and finally the disposal of goods. The concept is not only sustainable, but also inexpensive and, above all, gives people with little income access to all these things. The respective offers are often available free of charge or at a low price, which makes it particularly attractive. The growing popularity of the libraries of things can also be seen in the fact that a new guide is available that describes the steps to build up its own library. We live sustainably emphasizes how important it is to rethink consumption behavior and simply borrow things used.

A special aspect of the library of things is the promotion of social sustainability. The encounter and the exchange between users strengthen the sense of community and bring together people of different backgrounds. "Library of Things" shows that libraries can be far more than just places of reading. They transform themselves to social meeting points and an important part of the circular economy.

whether as part of an existing library or as an independent branch - the possibilities are diverse. Above all, the collection of a wide variety of everyday objects such as drilling machines, induction cooking panels and even disco balls proves that the concept is very well received. We are excited to see where the journey of the "Library of Things" leads and what new ideas will still develop.