19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Port Colborne library invites residents to ‘dream big' for unique borrowing contest
Have you ever want to try something out before deciding whether to buy it?
Now just might be your chance.
Port Colborne Public Library is encouraging residents to get creative this month as part of a community contest which could see their dream item added to the shelves.
Running until May 30, the My Dream Borrow contest invites locals to submit ideas for unique items they'd like to borrow from the library.
The winning suggestion will become part of the library's Library of Things collection, and the person behind it will get to borrow it first.
'There are many items people want to try once or use occasionally, but might not wants to buy,' said library chief executive officer Rachel Tkachuk. 'We're asking our community to dream big and tell us what they'd love to see added to our library.'
The Library of Things is a growing collection of non-traditional items that can be borrowed free of charge for a one-week period. Current offerings include snowshoes, pickleball sets, gardening tool kits, light therapy lamps and colour-blind corrective glasses.
Tkachuk said the contest is meant to keep the library responsive to community needs in a fun and imaginative way.
'Libraries are always trying to connect people with the resources they need, and this contest is a fun and creative way to stay responsive to what our community values and wants to explore,' she said.
Some early suggestions have already come in, including a VCR, dehumidifier, metal detector and a dog agility kit.
Ballots can be submitted at the library, city hall, Vale Health and Wellness Centre or by email at
library@
.
