Story by Julianna Schrier
Photos by Kendra Stanley-Mills
On the first floor of the Mary Idema Pew Library, a wall displays a collection of items: a step ladder, gardening tools, a sewing machine and even a deck of tarot cards – all available for checkout. These are part of the Library of Things, a new collection launched by Grand Valley’s University Libraries earlier this year.
“The goal is to fill in gaps or one-time needs for students,” said Patty Kishmen-Smith, library specialist for library access support services. “[We have] an eyeglass repair kit, a mini sewing kit; things like that. Like, oh, it snowed and you didn’t put a scraper in your car, or your car battery goes out and you need a jumpstart. We’ve got the tools you need.”
The idea began when Kishmen-Smith learned about other libraries employing similar programs, expanding offerings to their patrons beyond books. “We had some of these things already,” she said, like calculators, skeletons and other study tools. “We decided to expand what we offer, getting hand and garden tools and a snow brush. Then we did a survey to find out what else people wanted.”
“The goal is to fill in gaps or one-time needs for students.”
Patty Kishmen-Smith, library specialist for library access support services
Kishmen-Smith’s team ran a survey among campus departments that work closely with students to determine what resource gaps they could fill. The goal was to remove potential barriers for students – whether that be cost, a lack of space, or a lack of access elsewhere on campus.
One example is the pair of crutches. If you sprain your ankle, you may have to make an appointment, which could cost money, and the health clinic might not even have a set available right away, said Kishman-Smith. Having crutches available at the library clears some of those barriers and makes a needed accessibility tool a little easier to access.
“We also have a variety of tech accessories and learning support items,” said Jordyn Horton, night assistant for library access support services, “including wireless mics, and graphing, scientific and financial calculators that students can check out and use to complete assignments.”
In addition to more practical tools, the Library of Things includes recreational items: board games, puzzles, lawn games and a mahjong set, which typically sell for $60-$100 according to Kishmen-Smith. “You want to know that you're going to like the game before you go and purchase it, but the whole idea here is that once they learn the game they could join a club to play.”
The library was able to purchase a variety of items for the Library of Things. They also received some, like the sewing machine, from a Grand Valley faculty member who heard about the project and donated her never-used COVID lockdown purchase. So far, the sewing machine has been one of their most popular items.
Going forward, Kishman-Smith hopes to keep expanding. This summer, they added a zine-making kit, and she wants to add additional things like book club kits and bird-watching kits that will include things like binoculars and a bird field guide.
“The collection will slowly keep growing,” said Kishman-Smith. “And if anything isn’t used a lot or gets broken we can replace it with something we think students might want more. We have a lot of ideas.”
Check out the current Library of Things Collection, and check back in periodically to see what else gets added.
