In Vancouver, shipping containers are the new tool libraries

This spring, Vancouverites may find renting a set of camping equipment as easy as borrowing a book from the library. The Thingery project is a recent initiative launched by Vancouver Tool Library founder Chris Diplock. The first Thingery pilot project was carried out in summer 2016, and Diplock reached agreements over the following months with the city of Vancouver, a local credit union, and various neighborhood groups to bring the idea to life.

A Thingery, as described on the project’s website, is a self-service, “community-owned library of things” housed in a modified shipping container. Items, which can include tools, sports equipment, and cooking supplies, are donated or bought collectively by Thingery members. Borrowers reserve the tools online and pick them up through an access code system. Members pay a $50 one-time lifetime membership fee and a subsequent $29 annual fee for access to a world of tools. Some tools also carry small borrowing fees, although many are free.

Source: Shareable