Borrow

How do I borrow an item?

• Register your details and become a member for as little as £1 a year.
• Browse our catalogue and reserve the item you would like.
• There is a suggested weekly donation for each item. This can be paid in advance online, or you can donate when you collect your item.
• Collect your item from the hub. If getting to the hub is an issue, please contact us to see if we can find a way to help.
• Please bring some ID the first time you borrow (either one accredited form of ID (e.g. driving licence) or two documents stating name and address (e.g. utility bill, bank statement etc.)
• Enjoy using the item, then clean and return the item on time.

What does it cost & how long can I borrow the item for?

Annual membership starts from £1 and items will have suggested donation starting at £1/week.

What can I borrow?

The items range from things to help you do DIY, gardening, cooking, crafting, camping, parties and events. Have a look at our online catalogue to see the full range.

We also stock a range of consumable items to be used alongside items in our library. These are sold individually, so you can buy exactly what you need, reducing waste. Current consumables include: badge and magnet making kits, laminating sheets, carpet shampoo, smoke, snow & bubble machine liquid, vacuum bags, sander sheets, blades and staples.

We’re stocking items based on suggestions from Portsmouth residents, and if you have something that you’d like to donate to add to the library, you can find out more about what we’re looking for here.

What if it breaks?

Openness and kindness are key to building our community of sharing, and so we ask you to bring items back in the condition you would like to borrow them.

However, we recognise that accidents happen, and appreciate open and honest communication when things break, so that we can attempt to fix them and you can continue to borrow them, along with others. We’re a small charity and appreciate any financial support that you can offer to help fix damaged items. And, as set out in our lending agreement, we reserve the right to remove membership if the item was broken in an irresponsible manner.

Our Terms and Conditions

When you sign up to become a member of Portsmouth Library of Things you’ll be asked to read and agree to the following:

Why use a Library of Things?

There are many benefits to borrowing rather than buying:

Save money

Three quarters of household items are used less than once a month, so by borrowing rather than buying, we’re saving when it comes to the initial cost, storing, repairing and disposing. Sharing the costs across our community, saves money.

Save space

We don’t all have the space to store items that we infrequently use, whether that’s personally or as community groups, so being able to borrow these items as required, is a great way to save on space.

Save carbon

We’re all aware that we need to save carbon and reducing what we consume is a great way to do that. Many objects require vast amounts of raw materials and carbon before they even start getting used, so sharing, repairing and using pre-loved items are all great ways to reduce consumption and carbon.