The Brooklyn Public Library will launch its first-ever craft library on Wednesday, allowing library cardholders to borrow art supplies for a variety of activities, including screen printing, bookbinding, metal stamping and hand embroidery.
The program is the passion project of Jess Hardwick, a craft-loving BPL librarian of eight years.
“I just knew people would be excited about the opportunity to try to learn a new craft or a hobby without that financial investment,” she said.
The idea for the craft library started when Hardwick was getting into visible mending and ordered the necessary supplies to take up needle felting, but quickly found “I’d bought all of these supplies, all of this wool and it just didn’t click for me.”
She had the thought, “I just wish that there was an opportunity to send it along to somebody else that I knew who would use it.”
Now, there is. BPL patrons can in fact borrow Hardwick’s very same needle felting tools, free of charge, and pass along the favor: The Craft Supply Library is accepting donations.
“We’re really hoping to expand the collection that way,” said Hardwick.
The craft library’s launch coincides with the ribbon cutting on the BPL Central Library’s freshly renovated Art & Music space, located on the second floor of the landmark building at 10 Grand Army Plaza. The space is the only place where patrons can pick up and return crafts.
The list of crafts currently available for borrowing is divided into craft kits, which can be borrowed for up to three weeks, and craft tools, which can be borrowed for up to a week.
Crafts are just the newest addition to BPL’s “Library of Things,” which also includes vinyl records, board games, museum passes, musical instruments, and telescopes.
Click here for more information on the Craft Supply Library. To find out all that’s available, search “craft supplies” in BPL’s catalog. To donate, reach out to [email protected]