Isa Cruz

Many members of the Brunswick and Harpswell communities were thrilled to hear that the New York Times, as part of the ‘50 States, 50 Fixes’ series, featured the Library of Things (LOT) at Curtis Memorial Library in August. The LOT was also featured on the Today Show and NBC News.

With more than 1,500 items, including an applesauce grinder, a coin sorter, an electronic drum set, a dehydrator and a fish muffin pan, the LOT lends out items patrons may need without having to buy them, requiring only a Curtis Memorial Library card.

Hazel Onsrud, the Curtis Memorial Library adult services librarian who curates the LOT, talked about how the LOT came to fruition. Onsrud, after being hired at the end of 2016, started the program in 2017 on a small scale, which then expanded rapidly in 2018.

“Libraries of things have been around for years in various forms.… They’re in and out of the traditional, formal library world, and the less formal [library world], like neighborhood sharing in a church basement,” Onsrud said. “It’s not that foreign to expand that collection. Prior to when I joined here, one of the things that I had volunteered doing was [helping] at the Maine Tool Library in Portland in my free time. So I came hoping to set up a similar system here.”

Jones Walther ’28, who used the LOT to borrow an electric drill, commented on why the LOT was especially useful for students.

“It’s a nice way to get things without having to spend money. I feel like college students are a population where you might not want to have to spend a whole lot of money on things. But, also, it’s nice because you don’t have to keep [the items]. I don’t really want to keep [the items that I rented] in my dorm. I just needed it for that one specific incident,” Walther said.

Since the library’s feature in national media, more people have been showing interest in the LOT.

“There’s certainly been a lot of interest from our existing patrons—some who may have never borrowed anything from the [LOT] or hadn’t seen what’s new. And particularly this summer and fall, many visitors to Maine passing through Brunswick stopped to check out what the [LOT was] all about in person after reading The [New York] Times article,” Joy Fehl, the manager of marketing and development at Curtis Memorial Library, wrote in an email to the Orient.

Additionally, the Curtis LOT has become an inspiration for libraries seeking to replicate the model.

“[Onsrud] is fielding lots of inquiries from libraries everywhere about how to start a Library of Things and sharing resources like the LOT Mutual Aid group,” Fehl wrote.

The LOT has been growing steadily over the last eight years towards its current scale. The library aims to continue adapting to community needs such as food security.

“Our librarians are masters at reading our community, responding to changing needs, trying things out, sharing knowledge and LOTs resources that may be better used in another community. The LOTs, Repair Cafes [and] DIY Crafting and Cooking programs will continue to be an important and evolving part of Curtis Library’s offerings and ethos—particularly as they serve our sustainability mission and community during challenging financial times,” Fehl wrote.

Even outside Curtis Memorial Library, there are many other LOTs in Maine in various shapes and forms, such as the LOT at the Prince Memorial Library in Cumberland, or the Maine Gear Library Network, which partners with Curtis and other organizations to rent out outdoor equipment.

As for Bowdoin, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) is working on an initiative to collaborate with the College’s library to expand the selection of items available to students. Recently, BSG published an item recommendation form to gauge students’ needs.

As a frequent user of the Curtis Memorial LOT, Paul Wang ’24, the 2023–24 BSG President, was inspired to start the initiative to bring the LOT to Bowdoin. Wang explained why having a LOT is important in building community.

“Fundamentally, I think the Library of Things would help spread community—share responsibility over these items and take care of them. [It also has the aspect of] caring for each other by purchasing [the items] and implementing such a program,” Wang wrote. “I recall [the Director of the Bowdoin College Library] Peter [Bae] saying to me when we had a meeting that he wanted the library to be more than just a place to study, but he wanted them to see it as a home away from home on campus. That was really meaningful to me even a few years later, and I thought that the Library of Things would be a nice way to integrate that ‘home away from home’ ideal.”