Want a baking tray with that book, or a disco light with that DVD? Lake Mac Libraries have you covered.
Branches throughout Lake Macquarie are extending their catalogues beyond the traditional library inventory, offering dozens of diverse items people might not normally keep in their cupboards or kitchen drawers.
Lake Macquarie City Council Manager Arts, Culture and Tourism Jacqui Hemsley said that with the rising cost of living biting so many local families, it made sense to launch a new 'Library of Things'.
"Our Library of Things includes items people might have only an occasional use for, or they might want to try before they buy," she said.
"We see it as a solution to forking out hard-earned money on something you might only ever use once. That encourages sustainability and reduces the chances of things ending up in landfill after one or two uses."
Ms Hemsley said the collection was growing constantly and already included a range of baking trays and accessories, sports equipment, tools and party hire items like a disco ball, lights, games, smoke machine and a PA system.
"They're all available for borrowing for a four-week period," she said.
The Library of Things initiative continues the diversification trend across Lake Mac Libraries in recent years, including the Fab Lab fabrication facility at Windale Hub, bilyabayi, a textile lab at Toronto Library, tirrabiyangba and the Sugar Valley Library Museum, kirantakamyari, at Cameron Park.
"We're also making libraries more relevant and accessible for users with our self-access provisions at a number of branches," Ms Hemsley said.
Go to library.lakemac.com.au
