FundraiseCommunityNairobiRead Free at Book Bunk in NairobiRead Free at Book Bunk in Nairobi Book Bunk restores Nairobi libraries so Eastlands neighbours borrow books and join talks. Neighbour tip Bring a friend who has never visited before; shared first visits help you remember names, routes, and follow-up events you might skip alone. What you can do in Nairobi - Ask a volunteer what follow-up dates they recommend for newcomers before you leave the site - Visit Eastlands Library and other open branches listed on Book Bunk (Book Bunk libraries) - Browse programmes on restoration, oral history, and youth reading circles on bookbunk.org - Volunteer shelving or event support when Book Bunk posts calls - Donate books or funds through official channels if you live abroad but want to support stacks locally How to join Walk in during published branch hours for Eastlands and Kaloleni when open. McMillan Library remained closed for restoration on bookbunk.org - do not assume central-city hours without checking the libraries page. When & where Eastlands Library, Nairobi - coordinates and hours on the Book Bunk libraries section. Other branches list separate addresses when reopened or under repair. Why it matters in Nairobi Decolonial library work turns colonial-era buildings into neighbourhood rooms where young readers meet authors from their own districts. Bring a notebook; details you capture on site help your block organise a return visit or small solidarity fund drive. Good to know - Which branches are open? The libraries page marks McMillan as closed for restoration; Eastlands and Kaloleni were listed as active touchpoints on the source page. - Do I need a membership card? Public library rules appear on site; bring ID if staff request it for borrowing. - Are events free? Most community readings are free; ticketed fundraisers say so on event posts.Book BunkNairobilibrary +2
LearnFood & GardenYaxunahLoan heirloom seeds like a neighbourhood libraryLoan heirloom seeds like a neighbourhood library In Yaxunah, Yucatán, nine women run K'an-Lol ("the flower of good corn" in Yucatec Maya): a community seed bank that loans traditional maize, beans, chilies, and other crops at no cost. Borrowers plant their milpa, harvest, and return fresh seed so the stock stays alive for the next season. Most users are subsistence farmers feeding their families, with small surpluses sometimes reaching local markets. The bank is a library, not a shop: seeds move in circulation instead of sitting in a vault. Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya supports the project alongside local volunteers. Surplus garden produce can reach buyers through Traspatio Maya (Instagram). What you can do - Visit Yaxunah when community programmes are open and ask how the seed bank lends and receives maize (see Yucatán Magazine coverage) - Message Traspatio Maya to order a guacal of fresh produce from Yaxunah growers when you are in the region - Replicate the pattern at home: labelled jars, a simple loan ledger, and a rule to return double the borrowed grain if you cannot swap seed immediately (as Yaxcabá neighbours describe for their bank) - Pair seed saving with nixtamalization skills so heirloom maize becomes tortillas and staples again, not just decoration How it works Farmers borrow seed, grow in milpa plots, and return after harvest. Varieties such as nuuk nal (reddish maize) stay in use even though they need more care than industrial hybrids. Coordinators track loans; partners like FHMM help with training and fair-trade outlets. There is no fixed online booking: contact organisers through community channels or partner foundations before you travel. Why it matters Imported kernels can cross-pollinate native fields. A seed library keeps criollo genetics in farmers' hands, not only in policy speeches. It is low-tech mutual aid that scales one neighbourhood at a time.seedlibrarymilpa +2
Repair & ReuseWürzburgBorrow at Hubland Bibliothek der Dinge in WürzburgBorrow at Hubland Bibliothek der Dinge in Würzburg Stadtteilbücherei Hubland lends almost 100 objects from play, everyday helpers, makerspace, and travel: sewing machine, cordless drill, hiking poles, juggling kit, bike bags, sack truck, power banks, speakers, programmable robots, consoles, a beach wagon, and canvases. Search the catalogue for Bibliothek der Dinge. This is not a Hofflohmarkt. What you can do - Borrow up to three objects for two weeks (one extension of two weeks, reservations possible) with a library card - Collect and return only at Hubland during staffed desk hours (green dot from age 0, orange dot from 16) - You are liable for damage. Objects are excluded from internal library transit How it works Staffed hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 13:00 to 18:00, Saturday 11:00 to 15:00. Open Library is daily 07:00 to 22:00, but things leave the building only while staff are at the desk. Why it matters Campus neighbours can share bulky or rare-use kit without a new buy for a single weekend.borrowlibrarytools +1
Repair & ReuseGöttingenBorrow and learn at Bibliothek der Dinge in GöttingenBorrow and learn at Bibliothek der Dinge in Göttingen Stadtbibliothek Göttingen keeps a Bibliothek der Dinge on the 2nd floor of the Thomas-Buergenthal-Haus at Gotmarstraße 8, beside the information desk. A home planetarium, table-tennis set, bike tools, keyboard, energy meter, projector, or ukulele can leave with a valid user card. Objects with a high injury risk are excluded. What you can do - Borrow objects for four weeks with three extensions, included in the library card - Use the same floor for garden books and, in 2026, the Saatgutbibliothek seed packets - Check the programme page for the live object list How it works Zentralbibliothek hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 11:00 to 18:00, Saturday 11:00 to 16:00, Wednesday closed. The 2026 seed season opened on 2 March on the 2nd floor. No extra registration for seed packets. Why it matters A things cabinet next to a seed library lets Göttingen residents try a hobby and grow a variety without a shopping trip.borrowlibrarytools +1
Repair & ReuseKielBorrow from the Library of ThingsLend drills, games, and gear like books Kiel’s Bibliothek der Dinge at the Zentralbücherei and Bücherei Gaarden lends items you only need occasionally: tools, sports kit, party gear, or hobby equipment for up to four weeks. What you can do - Search the online catalogue and reserve before you buy something you will use twice a year. - Return items clean and complete so the next neighbour can borrow them. Why it matters Shared libraries of things keep bulky purchases out of cupboards and cut waste from one-off buys.borrowlibrarytools
FundraiseRepair & ReuseMunichBorrow from the Münchner Werkzeugbibliothek in MunichBorrow from the Münchner Werkzeugbibliothek in Munich The Münchner Werkzeugbibliothek lends more than 250 tools and useful objects for private use: drills and carpet cleaners, plus a 3D printer, a candy-floss machine, a projector, and more. Three Munich branches make borrowing cheaper than buying, and keep rarely used kit out of cupboards. What you can do - Create an account in the loan system and pick a membership (for example a weekly membership at 4€) on Münchner Werkzeugbibliothek - Search the catalogue, reserve up to two weeks ahead, then collect at Gasteig, Halle 2, or Trudering - Donate objects you no longer need so neighbours can borrow them - Come to a Stammtisch if you want to volunteer or help run the library How it works Register online first. On your first pickup, bring a German ID card with a current address sticker, or a registration certificate plus a passport. Loan fees are paid at handover, or charged when you collect from a locker station. The 24 h Halle 2 locker needs one in-person account check at Gasteig or the Halle 2 desk, plus a debit or credit card on your account. Treat borrowed objects as if a friend lent them. You can extend in your account if nobody else has reserved the item. Why it matters Sharing tools and event kit saves money, space, and resources. Neighbours get good equipment for a small fee instead of buying something that will sit unused after one weekend.toolslibrarysharing
EventCommunityReykjavikJoin Future Festival makers in ReykjavikJoin Future Festival makers in Reykjavik Reykjavik City Library nests maker and Repair Cafe programmes at Grofin. Join public maker days when the calendar lists them. What you can do - Check the Grofin programme page - Pick a listed maker or festival-linked day - Bring a small project suited to a library workshop How it works Public library maker programme. Confirm dates on the library calendar. Why it matters Reykjavik puts maker culture inside a library everyone can enter.reykjaviklibrarymakers +1
FundraiseFood & GardenMunichOrganise a community seed library and annual seed in MunichOrganise a community seed library and annual seed in Munich The Solawi network seed sovereignty pages promote community seed libraries: labelled jars, simple borrowing rules, and an annual swap where growers trade what saved true in their soil in Munich. What you can do - Read the Saatgut (seed) resources and pick varieties suited to Munich's climate - Host a winter swap at a library or community centre with variety notes and sowing tips - Link your library to a Solawi farm so field trials feed back into the catalogue How it works Stewards catalogue donations, check germination, and enforce "grow, save, return" rules. Swaps stay small and neighbourly so beginners leave with something they can actually sow in spring. Why it matters Community seed stocks protect diversity industrial catalogues skip and keep adaptation local.seedslibraryswap +2
VisitRepair & ReuseMünsterBorrow tools at MitMachBar in MünsterBorrow tools at MitMachBar in Münster MitMachBar is Münster's library of things and KreativLab inside the main Stadtbücherei at Alter Steinweg 11. Neighbours borrow tools, instruments, everyday helpers, robotics, and sound kit instead of buying items that would sit unused. What you can do - Search MitMachBar or the media group Bibliothek der Dinge in the online catalogue and check availability - Borrow with a valid library card from age 12 (costlier items can have a higher age mark in the catalogue) - Collect and return objects only at the staffed service desks, not at self-checkout or the outdoor return machine How it works Staff fetch the object for you during opening hours of the main library. The loan is 14 days, with up to two extensions if nobody has reserved it. You may hold up to three objects at once. Reservations cost 2 euro. From 1 October 2025 the shorter loan plus extensions is the live rule. Why it matters A shared bay of tools and kits keeps rare-use objects in circulation so households skip one-off purchases.borrowtoolslibrary +1
Repair & ReuseNürnbergBorrow a Maker-Box at the city library in NürnbergBorrow a Maker-Box at the city library in Nürnberg Stadtbibliothek Nürnberg runs the city's first Bibliothek der Dinge: technical devices, creative tools, and everyday objects at the information desks in Stadtbibliothek Zentrum and the district libraries. Maker-Boxes, robotics, coding kits, telescopes, microscopes, a hand planetarium, podcast gear, and extra music instruments sit in the catalogue. What you can do - Filter the catalogue for the interest circle Bibliothek der Dinge or open the Medienliste - Borrow and return only at information desks during service hours (loan 28 days, extendable once) - Bring a valid library card. Music instruments and music-library objects are for ages 18+. Batteries are not supplied except for music-library devices How it works A board in the Zentrum entrance shows which desk holds which object. You are liable for loss or damage. The programme is a cooperation with the city's environment and health department. Why it matters Trying a telescope or a Maker-Box for four weeks tests a hobby without a new purchase for the cupboard.borrowmakerlibrary +1
Repair & ReuseUlmBorrow from Bibliothek der Dinge in UlmBorrow from Bibliothek der Dinge in Ulm Stadtbibliothek Ulm lends everyday objects and digital kit from the Glaspyramide (Vestgasse 1) plus the Böfingen and Wiblingen branches. This is Ulm only. It is not the Neu-Ulm LeihBar. What you can do - Borrow consoles, an action camera, projector, outdoor games, rucksacks, a sack truck, a Bollerwagen, bike bags, a photo scanner, and more with your library card, no extra object fee - Use the self-checkout for a 14-day loan, extendable up to three times - Check the online catalogue for the site of each object. In the Glaspyramide the things stand on the ground floor to the left How it works Most digital devices leave the media cabinet on the ground floor: scan your card, pick a device, open the door. Same-day house laptops are due at closing on the day of loan. Music instruments are on the 3rd floor. Why it matters Ulm residents can try a sled, a uke, or a camera without storing another bulky object at home.borrowlibrarysharing +1
VisitRepair & ReusePforzheimBorrow from the foyer locker in PforzheimBorrow from the foyer locker in Pforzheim Since August 2024 Stadtbibliothek Pforzheim lends tools, sports kit, instruments, and other rare-use objects from a media locker in the foyer at Deimlingstraße 12. Holders of a valid card aged 18+ can take up to two objects for two weeks, at no extra object fee. What you can do - Open the locker like a self-issue station during central library hours - Suggest further objects via media-wish cards or the online catalogue (more than 50 items in the live catalogue) - Return objects only at the Zentrale during opening hours, not after hours How it works Tuesday to Friday 11:00 to 19:00, Saturday 10:00 to 17:00. Monday closed. The 24/7 outdoor book return does not take library-of-things objects. Why it matters A foyer locker turns a one-off drill or racquet into a two-week trial instead of a purchase.borrowlockerlibrary +1
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