Pimlico Library has become the latest Westminster branch to house a Library of Things, allowing residents to borrow household items and equipment rather than purchase them new. The service forms part of a broader shift in how the borough’s libraries operate, moving beyond traditional book lending to support a local sharing economy.
What Is Available
The Library of Things at Pimlico Library enables community members to share items and skills to save money, make repairs, and reduce one-time purchases. Residents can borrow practical items such as carpet cleaners and drills, joining a network that across London offers more than 45 useful items for rent from 22 locations.
The scheme is operated by Library of Things, a social enterprise that partners with brands including Bosch, Stihl, Kärcher, Vango, and The North Face to provide quality equipment for borrowing. Westminster Council promotes the service on its libraries webpage, directing residents to the participate.libraryofthings.co.uk/pimlico page for further information.
A Social Enterprise Rooted in South London
Library of Things began as a grassroots experiment in South London in 2014. It has since grown into a registered social enterprise with more than 34,000 members across its locations, each of which is run in partnership with local councils, housing associations, or community organisations.
The organisation’s stated mission is to help people share more and buy less. According to figures published on its website, the scheme has saved members money measured in millions of pounds, prevented tonnes of electronic waste from reaching landfill, and reduced carbon emissions through reduced consumption.
Westminster’s Broader Library Offer
Pimlico Library is not the only Westminster branch expanding what it lends. The council also operates a Games Library, where members can borrow tabletop board games. Games are available directly from Kensington Central Library and Pimlico Library, and can be reserved free of charge for collection at any Westminster library branch.
The expansion of what libraries lend reflects a wider rethinking of the role of public libraries in Westminster and beyond. As the cost of living remains a concern for many residents, access to shared tools, equipment, and leisure items without the need to buy them outright has gained renewed relevance.
How It Works
Residents interested in using the Pimlico Library of Things can find details on the participate.libraryofthings.co.uk/pimlico page, which lists available items and booking information. The service is designed to be accessible to local residents who might otherwise face the choice of buying an item they need only once or doing without.
Library of Things locations typically operate with a low-cost fee structure intended to cover maintenance and replacement rather than generate profit. The social enterprise model allows each location to be sustained locally while feeding into a wider network of sharing libraries across London.
The Sharing Economy in Westminster
The presence of a Library of Things within a Westminster council library signals a degree of official support for the sharing economy at a local level. By hosting the service, Pimlico Library provides a physical space for an initiative that aligns with Westminster Council’s leisure and community objectives, as set out on its libraries and community pages.
Other London boroughs have also begun to explore similar partnerships, but Westminster’s decision to host the service at Pimlico Library places the borough among those using public library buildings as hubs for more than books. As the network of Library of Things locations continues to expand, including a planned expansion to Barbican Library in the City of London, the model of the library as a place to borrow things as well as books is likely to become more familiar to Londoners.
For Pimlico residents, the practical benefit is immediate: rather than buying a drill, a carpet cleaner, or camping equipment for a single use, they can borrow what they need from a local library and return it when finished.