Tool lending librarianship

Abstract

This article explores the work of tool lending libraries from the perspective of staff and decision makers. It addresses what role serving community members with tools plays, and what this in turn means for the professional role of library work. The study builds on semi-structured interviews with tool lending specialists and managers from three US municipalities. Participants are found to perceive their library and their work as something of practical, local and immediate relevance. Compared to traditional library work, participants perceive their setting to require patrons and staff to be more directly and actively social. Several participants stress the importance of staff being experienced tool users themselves, leading the article to conclude with a discussion on reference competence.

Barriers to and facilitators of pet grooming among clients served by a subsidized grooming service program

“…“Libraries of Things” have become increasingly popular in recent years and offer individuals and non-profit agencies no- or low-cost access to an inventory of tools to complete various projects. For example, “tool libraries” (which often stock and lend out various tools for home improvement) are common and many argue that they cut waste, save money, and contribute to community sustainability by lowering economic barriers to home improvement ( 15 – 17 ) 2 . It may be beneficial to work with existing Libraries of Things and their staff to ensure existing programs are equipped with animal care tools (e.g., hair clippers) and supplies (e.g., carriers) that serve as barriers to grooming and ensure that local pet owners are informed about the availability of these resources.…”

1. Å studere det norske samfunnet som robust fellesskap

“…Sistnevnte er saerlig relevant når det kommer til å låne ut gjenstander ut over bøker og medieobjekter, slik som redskaper og verktøy. Denne praksisen er etablert i folkebibliotek internasjonalt (Ameli, 2017;Söderholm, 2016Söderholm, , 2018, og er fremvoksende i Norge. Unikt i verdenssammenheng er den norske formålsparagrafen om at «Folkebibliotekene skal vaere en uavhengig møteplass og arena for offentlig samtale og debatt», som kom med en lovendring i 2013 (folkebibliotekloven, 1985).…”

Upscale

“…Studies suggest that sharing initiatives reduce private consumption by making use of underutilized goods and thus contribute to the SDGs with beneficial environmental (Cohen and Kietzmann, 2014;Westskog et al, 2021), social (Albinsson et al, 201;Bradley, 2022) and economic effects (Sheth et al, 2011). In a library context, tool lending librarianship has been illuminated and discussed in several studies (e.g., Söderholm, 2016Söderholm, , 2018. However, there is a lack of solid evidence showing that sharing initiatives reduce consumption when rebound effects are considered (Frenken et al, 2017;Martin, 2016).…”