Have you ever gotten bored with a toy or realized it wasn’t as fun as you thought it would be? Did you know there are places where you can borrow stuff to see if you like it? They’re called “libraries of things,” and they’re located in many public libraries. Anyone with a library card can borrow a range of items, just like they borrow books.

Available to kids and adults, libraries of things often have toys, board games, video games, musical instruments, sewing machines, science kits, nature exploration equipment, telescopes, microscopes, baking pans, and more. By borrowing these items, people reduce waste because they’re sharing the use of items instead of buying new ones.

Borrowing instead of buying can also save people a lot of money, especially on items that are typically used only once or a few times. At many libraries, people can borrow power tools to do one-time repairs on their homes. Some libraries even lend out a device that tells people why their car’s dashboard is telling them to check the engine. Since that’s not something most people need often, owning one doesn’t usually make sense.

But what about musical instruments, video games, or anything that can be used in a hobby? Borrowing lets people try these things before they buy them. That’s what Daniel Plante of Dracut, Massachusetts, did after spotting a small stringed instrument called a ukelele at the local public library.

“I noticed that there were a bunch of things that you could just sign out and one of them was the ukulele. I had been talking to my wife, saying I’d love to try the ukulele and I thought, why not?” he told WBZ-TV in Massachusetts.

Many libraries of things have musical instruments available to borrow!