The pressure to overconsume stuff is driving destructive resource extraction, pollution, and waste — all of which contribute to the climate and extinction crises.
By challenging the consumerist mindset, we can reduce the threat to biodiversity posed by endless growth and the constant purchasing of new things. The best approach is through community-driven models that disrupt our growth-obsessed economy and promote reuse, sharing, and sustainability.
Libraries of things — LoTs for short — are part of the sharing economy. They’re community spaces where useful items can be borrowed just like books that remain in circulation for years.
LoTs offer an alternative to consumerism, which drives overproduction and leads to items getting purchased and thrown away after only a few uses.
There are about 2,000 formally established LoTs around the world, as well as countless informal ones.
This how-to guide was created for college and university campuses interested in starting their own LoTs.
Want to build a library of things that’s not on a college campus — or are you looking for information beyond this guide? Check out Shareable’s Library of Things Toolkit.
Contact: Kelley Dennings
