The bootroom at Cardiff Draconians will host the project which allows people to borrow instead of buy
RESIDENTS of Llandaff North and Gabalfa will benefit from a new Library of Things, which aims to ease the cost of living, empower residents and reduce waste.
For just a few pounds, users can borrow items which people have donated to the scheme.
Items ranging from mobility aids to bread makers have already been donated.
The co-founder and treasurer of the Llandaff North and Gabalfa Library, Russell Todd, said he hopes to “[give] people a sense that they can make small adjustments and changes to their lives themselves”.
Russell explained how people often have a job they need doing in their home, but they lack the necessary tool to complete it. To save them having to buy a brand new item, the library allows them to borrow it for a set period of time.
Charges have yet to be finalised, but as an example, a bread maker could be rented for £3 to £5, a wallpaper steamer for £3.50 to £4 and a gazebo for £10, he said.
Cost of living is a motivation behind this initiative. It is a key issue in the area of Llandaff North surrounding the library. In the nearby Gabalfa Primary School, for example, 43.3% of children are eligible for free school meals over a three-year average – that’s nearly 20% higher than the national average.
“There is a socio-economic need here,” said Russell. “We think there is something that we can do to help mitigate that.”
Russell also pointed to the library’s role in promoting networks “of trust, of inter-dependence on one another”.
“If we can lend stuff to one another today, the next time there is a global pandemic, we’ve got […] networks and relationships to draw on when we next need them.”
As well as mobility aids and bread makers, other items so far donated include camping equipment and even a travel cot.
The Cardiff Draconians Football Club have lent their ‘boot room’ for the Library to set up its base.
The club secretary, Nick Driscoll, said that “in an under-privileged area, providing services at a low cost is key”.
“[The club has] close relationships with the schools in the area and many other community partners, and we all pull together to improve what is on offer to our neighbours,” he said.
“As soon as Russell reached out to me, I was onboard to try and support him getting this project over the line.”
Nick has already donated to the library, and said he would benefit from borrowing gardening tools.
“I have a couple of fir trees that I lop the tops off of once a year. Rather than face the expense for an item I would use once a year, I can borrow a tool for a couple of quid,” he added.
“Likewise, I already see some of the tools that the football club can borrow for one-off projects that will help keep costs down.”
Borrowing will primarily take place online. People can register with the library website, and browse, borrow and reserve items.
Russell wants to engage local volunteers: working in the library, issuing items to people, PAT testing electrical items, and carrying out mobile deliveries.
The Library of Things already exists in two other areas of Cardiff: Ely and Caerau, and Splott.
The Splott library has attracted nearly 400 members to date.
All libraries across Wales are connected through Benthyg Cymru – the Community Interest Group that supports local groups/authorities to set up Libraries of Things in their area. It is able to bring funding to them at scale.
However, the Library in this ward will be run entirely separately from Benthyg Cymru. Benthyg Llandaff North and Gabalfa will have its own constitutional bank account, and will have the flexibility to apply for a variety of sources of funding.
The Library of Things in Llandaff North and Gabalfa is expected to launch officially in the New Year, although they hope to be operational before then.
