Sudbury Public Library lends the public a lot more than books

It may surprise some people that the Greater Sudbury Library lends a lot more than just books.

Puzzles, DVDs, board games, Wi-Fi hot spots, some sports equipment and useful items some people may only need to use once are all available to members.

The library also has pickleball equipment and a bike repair kit. Officials said it’s all about enhancing accessibility for the community, just as books did when public libraries started out.

"Books used to be a relatively scarce item," said chief librarian and CEO Brian Harding.

"It was hard for folks to acquire books and books were costly. It was hard for folks to afford to purchase books for themselves and so public libraries provided access."

Harding said providing access to the internet is also key to public libraries, including Wi-Fi hotspots.

"As we know access to the internet is critical -- it’s of critical importance," he said.

"There is something called the digital divide which is a big concern where some folks still don’t have access to the internet. We sort of make assumptions I think that everyone is online, that everyone can afford monthly internet access and that is not the case."

Harding also said puzzles are popular and that snowshoes are a popular seasonal item.

"A number of years ago I believe it was Laurentian University was downsizing their snowshoe collection," he said.

"They were swapping them out with a different model and so they offered them to us and we added them to the collection. I believe we were the first library in Ontario to have a snowshoe lending collection."

Some other useful items that can be borrowed include radon and carbon dioxide detectors.

Library officials said its mandate is to provide access to important resources and staff are always looking for new things to lend if a need is identified.