A London social enterprise that lets neighbours borrow drills, sewing machines and other household items from self-service lockers in libraries and community spaces.
Library of Things lets people borrow useful things instead of buying them. Its household, DIY, gardening and cleaning items include drills, carpet cleaners, sewing machines, pressure washers, metal detectors and sound systems. Members reserve an item online, then collect it from a self-service locker in a local library, community centre or shopping centre and pay a small daily fee, with items from brands such as Bosch, Kärcher and Stihl. A one-off membership is a few pounds, and a concession membership gives 25% off to people facing cost-of-living pressures. A repair technician keeps the items in good working order.
It started in South London and describes itself as a women-led social enterprise. A 2026 blog names Emma Shaw, Rebecca Trevalyan and Sophia Wyatt as the founders, inspired by sharing projects in Berlin and Toronto; other articles say it began in 2014 as a volunteer-run library in a shipping container, so the dates in different sources do not match. The first self-service lockers opened in Crystal Palace in 2018. The company's own mission is to make borrowing easy, affordable and convenient for people, communities and the planet. It also wants to build a coalition that encourages reuse and repair.
In the UK, the company says its newest site is Barbican Library in the City of London, opened in February 2026 as its 23rd London location. It has also worked with groups in other parts of the country: one article mentions sites in the north of England and a licensed group in Wales, and a pilot in Brighton. The company says it has over 40,000 borrowers, more than 80,000 borrows, about £11 million saved for residents by not buying new, and about 500 tonnes of waste prevented. Local councils often fund the lockers and commission the service, as at the Barbican, which the City of London Corporation funded.
On culture and people, its governance is unusual. A trade article describes it as mission-locked and steward-owned, with a single Guardian share held by a non-profit trust, and volunteer mission guardians able to veto big decisions. It runs free sewing and DIY workshops, repair events and swap days with local partners, and works with repair groups such as the Restart Project, Hackney Fixers and West London Fixers. The company asks communities what items they want through consultations and wish lists. These are its own descriptions.
A social enterprise like this needs people in partnerships (working with councils and libraries), community engagement, operations and stock management, repair technicians, customer support, software and data, and marketing. Its approach shows how a service can make sharing easier than owning. Check the company's website for current roles and for any changes to its sites.
Website: www.libraryofthings.co.uk
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