Description, Purpose

Welcome to CVUUS Library of Things. Enter, rejoice, and come in! The CVUUS Library of Things (LoT) is a congregation-wide collection of useful items kept in members’ and friends’ homes and offered for short-term loan to other CVUUS members and friends. Our Library of Things reduces the need to acquire rarely used Things and fosters meaningful connections within the congregation through mutual sharing.

Summary of LoT Documents and Procedures

1. Collection Development and Circulation Policy (this page)
2. LoT Inventory
3. LoT Agreement & Use Policy
4. LoT Waiver and Indemnification Form
5. Lender Borrower Reminder Form

Collection Development

The LoT team welcomes offers of loanable Things as well as requests and suggestions for LoT items. Contact an LoT member via the CVUUS directory or church office. The CVUUS LoT team will make periodic appeals for the most useful, needed, or hard-to-find items via the monthly newsletter or weekly news blast.

Types of Things in Our Collection

For a full list of Things currently in our communal  LoT collection, see CVUUS LoT Inventory of Things. Depending on members’ and friend’s offers, items available for loan may include:

• Art, craft, hobby items
• Audiovisual equipment
• Baby, child equipment
• Car, automotive tools
• Clothing, accessories
• Computer equipment
• Decor
• Exercise equipment
• Furniture, furnishings
• Garden, lawn tools
• Health, medical equipment
• Home improvement tools
• Kitchen equipment, dining ware
• Moving equipment
• Music, musical instruments
• Personal care items
• Pet supplies
• Science equipment
• Sports, camping, and recreational equipment
• Toys, games
• Woodworking tools 

Storage

CVUUS doesn’t have the space to store Things, except possibly in very rare, unusual, or temporary circumstances. So LoT items must be housed in members’ and friends’ homes. However, the LoT team may be able to help arrange an alternate storage location, if someone can no longer keep or needs to relinquish items considered especially useful for our LoT collection.

Circulation Guidelines

People who borrow Things agree to abide by the policies and procedures described in the documents listed above. CVUUS, the congregation, itself, may borrow Things temporarily for special purposes or events, [in which case it will also observe all policies and procedures detailed above. [Question to be resolved: Does the LoT change the way people loan things to the congregation and how CVUUS handles that?].

Items may be borrowed for 7 days, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon. To borrow an item contact an LoT team member (Kathryn Schloff, Michele Lowy, or Artley Wolfson). One of these LoT librarians will contact the Thing owner to verify that the listed Thing is available. If so, the LoT librarian will put borrower and lender in touch with each other to complete borrowing and return transactions directly. For this purpose, please MAKE SURE TO READ, USE, SIGN, and RETAIN documents 3, 4, and 5 above specifically: (3) the LoT Agreement and Use Policy, (4) LoT Waiver and Indemnification From, and (5) Lender Borrower Reminder Form.