By Wendy Greenberg

Check it out, literally. That emergency weather radio that might be helpful during a camping trip, a bulb planter that could enhance your garden, and a bicycle pump you could have used for a ride last weekend are all available to borrow from several organizations in town.

The Princeton Public Library’s (PPL) Library of Things, the Center for Modern Aging Princeton (CMAP) Lending Locker, and Sustainable Princeton’s Lending Library of sustainable items are services that extend the organizations’ service to the community but retain their missions.

PPL’s Library of Things, says the library website, is “a collection of nontraditional, circulating library items that support our mission to engage, inspire, educate, and unite,” and contains such choices as laptops and wireless hotspots, technology kits, portable power stations, and emergency weather radios. Or one can go birding and camping with Nature Explorer backpacks for adults or kids.

The current focus is on “items that support internet access, digital creation, and everyday readiness,” said PPL Assistant Director Erica Bess. “We are always looking for opportunities to expand, though the expansion is often dictated by grant opportunities.”

The most recent additions to the collection are Story Collecting Kits, which were funded by a grant received from New Jersey State Library’s “REV 250: Examining the Semiquincentennial through a Jersey Lens” program, said Bess. “We have been using the equipment to capture oral histories for our Voices of the 250th project and have made the 16 kits available for library cardholders to borrow who are interested in capturing their family’s oral histories as well. Of course, there are many uses for the Story Collecting Kit beyond our purposes for adding them to the collection, and we’re excited to have patrons engage with the technology and explore creative opportunities without the cost barrier.”

The Library of Things started as a way to circulate nontraditional items beyond books and DVDs, but still center on technology and learning. During the pandemic when remote learning and work increased demand for reliable home internet, the library expanded its Wi-Fi access to Hinds Plaza. “We then launched a campaign to raise funds to offer mobile hotspots and internet kits so patrons could stay connected beyond the building,” wrote Bess in an email. Over time, the collection expanded in response to community needs.

Items such as Little Thinker Kits, Tonie Variety Packs, smartphone and computer media kits, “smart” projector kits, Chromecast Kits, portable power stations, and emergency weather radios were funded by grants or gifts, said Bess.

The addition of items depends on cost, maintenance, education, support, storage, and quality, so the library doesn’t accept donations of “things,” but it does encourage people to give to its Annual Fund or to the Friends and Foundation of the Princeton Public Library’s endowment. “These gifts allow for the ongoing maintenance and growth of our entire collection, including the Library of Things,” said Bess. The wish list includes expanding the number of mobile hotspots and mobile internet kits, which are the most popular items. “We simply don’t have enough to meet the needs of the community, and in 2026, having reliable internet is a basic human need,” Bess said. “We have also had requests from patrons to add items such as sewing machines, gaming consoles, 3D printers, and portable speakers.

“Even with 10 mobile internet kits and six hotspots in circulation, demand consistently exceeds availability,” said Bess.

For kids, the most popular items are Little Thinker Kits, which contain Tonie boxes and theme-based Tonie figurines, paired with a set of magnetic tiles to provide a screen-free, digital storytelling experience that aids in the development of early literacy skills, Bess explained. “We introduced 16 Little Thinker Kits in fall 2023, and they have been in constant circulation with waiting lists that underscore their popularity,” she said.

CMAP has the Durable Medical Equipment Lending Locker, which loans out wheelchairs, rollators, walkers, knee scooters, canes, and adult incontinence products, said Ruthann Traylor, CMAP social worker. There is no waiting list, but “the calls keep coming in” she said. The equipment is donated in good condition, and goes right back into
the Princeton community, said Traylor.

All loans are pre-arranged and can be requested by phone or in person. The Lending Locker accepts wheelchairs, walkers, canes, new diabetic socks, gently used diabetic/orthotic shoes, packaged incontinence supplies, hearing aid batteries, protective bed pads, new shower chairs, and new commodes.

Sustainable Princeton’s Lending Library offers local residents and groups access to zero-waste items, repair tools, landscape equipment, and energy-saving home goods, said Communications and Outreach Manager Elana Berk.

The organization prioritizes items “that foster sustainable living. For example, we have a collection of fully electric landscaping equipment, sewing machines for clothing repairs, induction cooktops, and party equipment to encourage neighbors to get to know each other,” she said.

The 173 items available include a Bissel Spot Clean Pro portable carpet cleaner, two one-gallon drink dispensers with stand, a corded electric leaf mulcher, a spreader, an eyeglasses repair kit, a tent canopy, a garden tools set, a folding picnic table, LED tea lights, a sewing machine, and wet/dry vacuum. New to the list are a manual mower, lawn cart, and metal detector. Residents and nonprofits within Princeton can borrow an item for up to two weeks.

“I think the biggest new addition is the collection of augers,” said Berk. “We have one that’s big enough to plant trees as well as little ones that can attach to a power drill for smaller plants. We also added a metal detector that was used to help someone who lost their keys in the gardens at the Morven Museum.”

“It’s been an extremely popular service,” continued Berk. “We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from folks, who often say how grateful they are to be able to borrow equipment rather than buy it.”

Sustainable Princeton relies on cash donations to maintain the collection and add new equipment. On its wish list? The most requested item now is a pole saw.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to add one soon with community support,” said Berk.

For more information on the Princeton Public Library of Things, visit princeton
library.org/services/library-of-things.

For more information on the Center for Modern Aging Princeton’s Lending Locker, visit cmaprinceton.org/dme-lending-locker.

For more information about the Sustainable Princeton Lending Library, visit splendinglibrary.myturn.com/library.