Going back a few years now, we have offered some items for circulation that people might not ordinarily think of as belonging in a library. These include tables and chairs, Tonies, a GoPro camera, a drone, and other similar items that patrons might not normally have access to or might want to try out before deciding whether to purchase one for themselves. This is a growing trend in libraries as we continually seek to adjust our services to continue to enhance the lives of our modern patrons. Libraries are offering everything from outdoor movie theater kits to pickleball equipment to metal detectors to Chromebooks. Staff are interested in, and I am wholeheartedly in support of, expanding our collection of non-traditional offerings and branding it in a way to make these items more known.

We have called this our Gadgets & Gizmos collection, and we would like to build a display for it near the first-floor staircase using a slatwall and card system similar to this setup at the Northbrook Library:

This would allow us to efficiently display and check out these items without storing them on the floor where they would take up a lot of space and potentially invite unwanted touching.

We are proposing to install a slatwall in this location:

We are envisioning a stenciled or painted sign that says “Gadgets & Gizmos” vertically on the green strip of wall with a large “G&G” above the fire alarm box. This location would give good visibility to the display, and it would allow staff to provide proactive help to browsers as this is directly in front of the Public Services Desk.

Patrons would sign an agreement acknowledging the higher replacement cost of these items should they be lost or damaged, similar to the agreement that people sign when using the Zanardo FabLab equipment. Items would only be available for checkout to Palos Heights residents and would likely have somewhat stricter hold and renewal rules.

In addition to things that we already have available to patrons, we are considering providing the following items that people might only need occasionally or might want to try before investing in for themselves:

  • Tech items like mobile hotspots, video projector, or a/v recording equipment (nothing too expensive)
  • Games like bags, oversize Jenga and Connect 4, or a Dungeons and Dragons starter kit
  • Crafting items like a 3doodler or button maker
  • Tools and gardening equipment like a stud finder, hand truck, or OBD2 scanner
  • Assistive technologies like magnifiers, memory kits, and sensory kits

Obviously, this is not a new idea for us. We have $1,000 in this year’s budget for getting this collection off the ground. What is new is our plan for branding and displaying/circulating these items and for building this into a long-term asset to our residents.

Recommendation: We don’t need formal board action to begin this process as we have already built it into our budget for this year. Assuming you all like the direction we’re going with this, we’ll continue to build this collection in future years. Next steps would include procuring the display materials, i.e. a nice slatwall system to go by the stairs; designing cards and signage for display and circulation; re-cataloging current items to fit with this system; and acquiring and processing a few new items to add to this collection. If successful, we would budget in future years to slowly build and maintain this collection in perpetuity.