Check this out: Bay Area libraries offer unique services, tools, items to take home
Bay Area libraries draw book lovers, of course, who frequent those literary spaces to read and borrow novels, nonfiction volumes and picture books. But those halls hold so much more. They are bestowers of free lending programs, supplied with everything from Wi-Fi hotspots to vegetable seeds, hammers and hiking backpacks for library-card holding locals to use.
Whether you’re looking for gear for a new hobby or pursuit or to expand upon an existing one, here are some possibilities, from tool libraries to seed collections, outdoor equipment, park passes and more.
Tool Lending
If Home Depot is your go-to spot for testing out home, carpentry or electrical equipment, then consider adding this library service to your toolbox.
Intended to reduce cost-related barriers associated with home improvement projects, tool lending libraries offer the community no- or low-cost access to tools and appliances. Some libraries, such as the Oakland Public Library, offer workshops on plumbing repairs 101 and power tool safety, too. And others, such as Fremont’s Irvington Library, have “makerspaces” where guests can tinker and build.
“Tool lending libraries spark the public’s imagination and push the boundaries of what public libraries can be for our communities,” said Jill Tokutomi, supervising librarian for the south branch of the Berkeley Public Library.
Tool lending libraries like Berkeley’s, which includes mechanical, power and cooking tools, have been around since the late 1970s.
“After 45 years, it still blows people’s minds when they find out they can check out tools — both home repair and culinary tools — with their library card,” Tokutomi said.
Where to go: You’ll find tool collections at many Bay Area libraries, including the Santa Clara City Library, Oakland Public Library, Berkeley Public Library and Alameda County Library branches.
What’s available: Everything from caulking guns and heat guns to thermal cameras, extension cords, drills, chain saws, sledge hammers, ladders, baking pans and more.
Seed Libraries
Got a green thumb? There are drawers filled with free flower, fruit and vegetable seeds tucked away inside libraries in Moraga, Mountain View and beyond.
With more than 500 seed lending libraries worldwide, it’s a popular way to get people excited about gardening. Local gardens can help combat climate change and preserve genetic diversity, according to librarians at the San Jose Public Library, which has stations at six branches.
In addition to distributing seeds, some libraries — in Clayton, for example, and Mountain View — welcome seed donations from personal or public gardens to help keep the collection growing. Those seeds will often do better than store-bought varieties, since locally harvested seeds have acclimated to the Bay Area’s microclimates and soils, according to librarians at the Contra Costa County Library, where 16 branches boast seed lending collections.
Where to go: Check out seeds at the San Jose Public Library, Santa Clara City Library, Oakland Public Library, Hayward Public Library, Menlo Park Public Library, Mountain View Public Library, Palo Alto Public Library, Contra Costa County Library, San Mateo County Public Library and more.
What’s available: Seeds for California native wildflowers, vegetables, fruit, heirloom varieties and hybrids
Library of Things
Browsing through a Library of Things collection is like shopping at an eclectic mall — except everything is free.
The term was popularized by a grassroots experiment that started in London in 2014 and was inspired by the concept of tool lending libraries. Over the last decade, these collections have sprung up in Palo Alto, for example, Berkeley and Brentwood.
Instead of appliances or tools, these libraries offer more unexpected items. At the Milpitas Library, which launched its Library of Things in November, card holders can borrow medical devices, karaoke gear, specialty cake pans, telescopes and sewing machines, among other things. Fremont resident Elizabeth Leong, for example, borrowed a blood pressure monitor, sous vide equipment and a hot pot and grill at that library this spring.
Where to go: Milpitas Library, Palo Alto Library, Berkeley Public Library and several Contra Costa County Library branches
What’s available: Sewing machines, Go Pros, Raspberry Pis, ukuleles, children’s toys, storytime kits, bike locks, bocce kits, Wi-Fi hotspots, Chromebooks and more
Hiking Kits and Park Passes
If the great outdoors is where you learn best, then the library’s got you covered.
Several library districts, including San Mateo and Contra Costa County, offer California State Park day-use passes, which allow visitors to park for free at more than 200 participating parks — although the funding for that was on shaky ground for 2024-25. The Santa Clara County Library offers free vehicle-entry passes for 28 regional parks, and locals can check the passes out for a three-week period.
“It’s really to make sure folks who want to enjoy hiking and going outdoors can,” said Santa Clara City librarian Rachel Hughes. “They don’t have to worry about the money. It’s not going to be a barrier to their access.”
Like many other libraries in the Bay Area, Santa Clara City also offers hiking backpacks, which hold fun and practical items such as binoculars, bird and wildflower field guides, a compass, magnifying lenses and more. But the fuzzy bear-shaped food storage canister is unique to that library — and it’s surprisingly popular, according to Hughes.
“You put all your scented stuff into it, and then bears can’t open it,” she said. “Sometimes, people can’t open it, too.”
Where to go: Santa Clara City Library, Santa Clara County Library District, San Jose Public Library, San Mateo County Library, Alameda County Library, Contra County Library and more.
What’s available: Binoculars, field guides, hiking poles, magnifying glasses, compasses, backpacks and California state and regional parking passes