Libraries: Making Reuse Easy Since 1790
Happy spring, Smart Recyclers!
Some of our faithful readers will know that over the years we’ve covered many different ways to reduce waste in our daily lives. Some of our favorites include:
- Borrow, don’t buy.
- Reuse, refill, repair.
- Swap ‘til you drop.
- Share! Because when you share, you have twice as much.
With National Library Week just around the corner (April 9-12), we decided there’s no time like the present to focus on borrowing instead of buying.
While borrowing sometimes seems like a quaint, old fashioned, or even difficult concept – imagine borrowing a cup of sugar from your neighbor these days – it still happens in large and small ways all the time! And where is the easiest place to borrow?
The local library, of course! 📖
Did you know that across Massachusetts, there are 367 public libraries serving over 6.9 million residents? Massachusetts is also home to the first public library in the country, which was founded in 1790 and is still operating today! While they’re generally known for books, libraries are reuse hubs for all sorts of things. (A library would never tell you this, but they are the OG reuse hub #humblebrag.)
So let’s check out (pun intended 📘) some of the helpful services our libraries have to offer!
Books and So Much More
It goes without saying that borrowing books is good for our wallets. From novels and comics to reference books and magazines, and even cookbooks and travel guides, you can find just about any kind of printed material in a library – all for free. But borrowing books has other benefits, too.
Visiting a library stimulates our curiosity by exposing us to books on topics we love, and subjects we know nothing about. Libraries also provide free educational programming, allowing us to learn more about our community and the world. And of course, libraries are really good for the environment – every time you borrow a book, you save the natural resources used to produce a new book (wood, water, and energy). So, you could say that borrowing books is good for your wallet, the environment, and your mind.
In an increasingly digital world, libraries continue to evolve to meet the needs of their patrons by providing free access to services like audiobooks, e-books, music apps, streaming platforms, online publications, research databases, and even career resources. Libraries are the ultimate good deal!
If you can’t find something you’re looking for at your local library, don’t worry – the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) has you covered. 😎 The MLS offers interlibrary loan and delivery, transporting around 14 million items every year.
In 2024 alone, MA public libraries filled over 11,000 loan requests! Library staff receive these requests and work with a library consortium (a group of libraries that share resources) to send items where they’re needed. The consortiums keep things regional, which improves efficiency and reduces the costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation.
Interested in learning more about how interlibrary loans are processed? Check out this video: https://player.vimeo.com/video/956497613?h=7b54de1dfb.
The Humble Library of Things
A Library of Things (LoT) is one of our favorite community resources. It’s a collection of items that can be borrowed from the library, like tools, kitchen appliances, craft supplies, games, electronics, and more. Most LoTs follow the same lending rules as books: items can be checked out for free or for a small fee and then returned when the borrowing window expires.
LoTs can be useful and help to temporarily spice up our lives. Have a virtual meeting but no computer at home? Try borrowing a laptop. Hosting a backyard BBQ? Borrow a cornhole or ring toss set! Want to binge-watch the latest episodes of your fave show, but don’t want to pay for an entire streaming subscription? Borrow a streaming device to connect to your home TV! Many libraries offer all of these things and more.
Shoutout to the Billerica Public Library for showcasing items from their LoT!
LoTs can also help us reduce clutter. We all have stuff in our homes we regret buying. A giant cupcake pan for that one birthday party, a puzzle our kid outgrew in two weeks, or maybe a video game we don’t like after all. Wouldn’t it have been great if we could’ve borrowed them instead? We think so. That’s why we love the concept of a Library of Things. All these things we buy and only use once, seasonally, or very rarely just collect dust in our homes and eventually become trash. LoTs offer a different way!
With a Library of Things, items like DVD players, stud finders, and toys can be shared by a community and accessed when they’re needed (pro tip: you can use this resource to try something out before buying!). It’s actually pretty perfect. We get to borrow fun things, decrease clutter in our homes, reduce our environmental footprint by preventing waste in the first place, and save money. It’s a win-win-win-win! See if your local library offers a Library of Things.
Show Me the Benjamins!
Speaking of saving money, have you ever wondered how much money you’re saving by using library resources?
Have we got the tool for you!
The Berks County Public Libraries designed a handy web calculator to determine the monetary value of resources you use from your public library. Check out the results on the left. 🤯
Borrowing just a few books, using public computers to print items, attending library events, and asking reference questions can save you nearly $160 each month, or over $1,900 per year.
Most libraries will also note your savings on a printed receipt with your borrowed materials, and some will even keep a running total over the course of your membership to give you a more accurate sense of what you’re saving!
Get Lending
We hope you’re as excited about borrowing instead of buying as we are! Remember, by reusing, borrowing, and sharing, you help curb greenhouse gas emissions from product manufacturing and transportation, prevent air and water pollution, and contribute to a safer, healthier planet.
Libraries make all of this easy by offering the many services and resources we mentioned. But keeping these reuse hubs alive and well requires your support. Here are some ways you can get involved:
- Get a library card! Most municipal libraries allow residents to get a library card free of charge with a valid photo ID and proof of residence.
- Donate books! Many libraries accept donated books and magazines and will offer them for sale at reduced prices – some as low as one or two dollars!
- Volunteer! Most libraries rely on support from non-profit organizations (typically “Friends” of the library) that help with behind-the-scenes tasks like fundraising, grant writing, publicity, or simply restocking shelves. It’s a great way to connect with other members of your community and support a vital local service. Visit your library’s website or call them for opportunities.
📢 Special shout out to our wonderful intern, Alicia Brennan! 📢
Alicia combined her experience working at a library with her newfound love of reuse to put this newsletter together. Thank you for your hard work, Alicia!
Partner Spotlight: Edwards Public Library
Need to mend a torn t-shirt, but don’t want to buy a sewing machine? Want to try crocheting, but don’t want to overspend on new supplies? The Edwards Public Library in Southampton has you covered! ♻️
This Reduce, Reuse, Repair Micro-Grantee is in the process of launching its highly requested Library of Things Make and Mend Collection, an assortment of items that members can borrow to explore a new hobby or use for one-off projects. ICYMI, borrowing things that will only be used once saves resources, energy, and of course, money! All you need is a library card to check out everything from label makers and toolkits to a telescope, free of charge. On top of offering these items, the library will also be hosting workshops to demonstrate how they work. They even have instruction booklets in multiple languages to fit the needs of every patron!
What’s next? The library is continuously adding new items to its collection based on interest, and their grand opening of the Make and Mend Collection is this May! We can’t wait to see what else the Edwards Public Library has in store for fostering a low-waste community in Southampton.
📚What We’re Reading
- Newton Residents Donated Half a Million Lbs. of Textiles Last Year – The Newton Beacon
- Oregon Approves EPR Program Plan – Recycling Today
- Groundhog Day Alert: Recycling Under Attack Again – Waste 360
- The Hidden Carbon Cost: How Our Stuff Fuels Climate Change and What We Can Do About It – MassRecycle Podcast
- These Items Are a Big No No For the Trash in Massachusetts – WUPE
- Waste Not, Want Not? How Massachusetts Become the Only State to Reduce Food Waste. – The Christian Science Monitor
Happy reading, and happy reducing!
The Recycle Smart Team at MassDEP
