Brooklyn, Say Hello to Your First Craft Supply Library
Crochet hooks, thermal laminators, and button makers are among the 31 items now available to rent from the Brooklyn Public Library’s new lending program.
The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) officially launched its first-ever lending program for craft supplies on Wednesday, September 9. Crochet hooks, thermal laminators, and button makers are among the 31 items now available to rent from the BPL Craft Supply Library.
The library consists of craft kits, such as linecut sets and woodworking apparatuses, which can be borrowed for three weeks, and craft tools, which can be borrowed for one week. Patrons with an adult library card can take up to three craft kits and two craft tools home at a time, at no charge, proving a welcome alternative for hobbyists who want to avoid hefty price tags.
"All of us in New York are watching our budgets, and we have very limited storage," Fritzi Bodenheimer, a spokesperson for BPL, told Hyperallergic. "You can take something out from the library without that financial investment."
The library’s holdings include a fourth-edition Cricut Maker, a nearly $400 machine that can cut, etch, and engrave into hundreds of materials.
“Starting a new hobby or learning a new skill can mean a big investment in start-up tools or supplies, and often people don’t know if they’ll like the hobby,” Jessica Harwick, the BPL librarian behind the project, told Hyperallergic. “This collection will help remove that barrier so that more people can explore their creativity and try new things.”
