Just in time for Beloit Winterfest, Beloit Public Library cardholders now have a new item they can check out: Snowshoes!
Snowshoes and poles in a variety of sizes have been added to the catalog and are available to be borrowed by cardholders for up to two weeks at a time. Holds may be placed online through the catalog in the same way that books and other library materials can be reserved.
This equipment was formerly available for residents through the City of Beloit Parks and Recreation Department, but BPL and COB staff believe more people will benefit from their use now that they are available to borrow – for free – from the library.
“We are excited to provide our cardholders an opportunity to connect with their families and the outdoors with this equipment,” said BPL Director Nick Dimassis. “We hope these snowshoes get used by many residents to explore the variety of beautiful parks we have in the Greater Beloit Area, including Riverside, Big Hill, Leeson, and Nature at the Confluence.”
A library card is required. Cards are free for residents of Wisconsin (excluding the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County) and can be obtained by persons living outside of the area for an annual fee.
Unlike traditional library materials that can be dropped off and picked up at other SHARE Consortium libraries, these snowshoes can only be checked out at BPL and must be returned to the service desk inside BPL.
Having nontraditional items to check out is not new to libraries or to Beloit Public Library. Many libraries across the country offer “Library of Things” collections – collections of items available for loan that don’t fit the traditional constructs of library materials.
Some nontraditional items BPL has available are Buddha Boards, S.A.D.D. Lights, Launchpads, and Family Literacy Kits. Other SHARE libraries’ “Library of Things” items also are available for checkout. They include a ghost detector kit, microscope, puzzles, games, video games, and much, much more.
To explore these and other THINGS available for checkout, open the BPL catalog, hover over the “Other Media” tab, then click on “Library of Things.”
