Xbox, cornhole and more now rentable at Baldwin Public Library

BIRMINGHAM — Cardholders at the Baldwin Public Library can now rent out tools, electronics and more in their new Library of Things. 

Located between the Adult Reference Desk and the Idea Lab, the Library of Things recently became available to the community. 

Within minutes of being open, it was already being used. Librarian Ethan Cronkite, who coordinated the Library of Things alongside librarian Jen Hassell, said the first items rented out were video game consoles. 

For years, the library has had popular video games available for people to check out. However, Cronkite said they often had people express that they wish they could rent out a game, but they do not own any hardware to do so.

“We thought a good kind of idea to kind of launch the Library of Things and familiarize people with the idea would be to have things like that available to help people enjoy our existing collections,” Cronkite said. 

The community can now rent out the library’s Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, in addition to renting games to play. Cronkite said they have proven to be very popular so far. 

Other electronics that the library is renting out are record players. The library has a large collection of vinyl records, which people who did not previously own a record player could not listen to at home. Now, they can rent out a record player to take home along with a record from their favorite artist. 

While it is not the ideal time of year for these items, the Library of Things also has several outdoor games. Among the games are cornhole and giant Jenga. Cronkite said they envision people renting these out for family reunions, birthday parties or any other outdoor event. 

One of the more unique offerings in the Library of Things is the memory kits for seniors. These include activities for seniors to exercise their memory.

“The whole goal for the Library of Things is to offer things that you might want to just use once or twice, either because it’s something you don’t want to store in your house or you just need it for a specific project,” Library Director Rebekah Craft said. 

Just like the library’s books, these items are free to rent out with a library card. Anyone checking out an item from the Library of Things is required to sign a waiver in case anything gets damaged or lost.

The Library of Things is made up of new items that the library purchased to be included in it. Craft said these items were purchased with money that was set aside in their budget and trust funds.

In addition to the Library of Things, people can also rent toys from the library’s extensive toy collection of about 200 different toys in the youth room. This option could be useful to a grandparent whose grandchildren are coming into town, or if a parent wants their child to try out a toy before they buy it.

While not necessarily part of the Library of Things, the library also offers an “internet to-go kit,” which comes with a Chromebook and a hot spot. 

Learn more about the Baldwin Public Library, 300 W. Merrill St. in Birmingham, and its Library of Things by visiting baldwinlib.org or by calling (248) 647-1700.