At this time of year, one of my favorite daydreams to muse upon is walking down a sunny beach, listening to the waves, and feeling the warmth of the sand on my feet rather than the frostbite of my toes in the snow. Not much could make that daydream better, but perhaps one thing: a melodious, rhythmic beeping, slowly growing faster as I walk down the beach and start to dig. Yes, that's right. In this most perfect version of my daydream, I have a metal detector that I checked out from the Hinsdale Public Library - and I've just found something really cool.
You may not know it, but the Hinsdale Public Library checks even out more than books, audiobooks, movies, CDs, magazines and newspapers (all both physical and digital). We also have a Library of Things, a collection of nontraditional items - like devices, kits and tools - that you can borrow. And recently we've been adding to it!
With your Hinsdale Public Library card, you can now check out:
• a GoPro Hero 12 to take videos of all your adventures
• a karaoke machine so your next party will be hoppin'
• a vinyl record washer to care for your record collection
• a portable film/slide digitizer and a VHS to DVD converter kit to save all your family memories
• a C-Pen Reader that will scan sentences and read them to you - and even define words
• a birding kit to see which species come to visit this spring
• a recording studio for your new podcast project
• a ukulele so you can serenade your spouse
• a Nintendo Switch to help pass away the frigid days indoors
We also have our favorite standbys – hotspots so you can take internet on the go and Rokus so you can watch all your favorite streaming shows through the library.
We're always adding to this collection - we've just ordered a button maker that should be available soon. To see everything we have, visit http://www.hinsdalelibrary.info/things.
But what about the young ones? No worries there: For kids, we have a robust Curiosity Kit collection that will introduce them to a wide range of fun and educational items. A few examples of our Curiosity Kits include:
• a microscope perfect for budding scientists
• geology and birding kits to explore the great outdoors
• Ozobots and Edison Bots for learning coding
• a mini theremin to learn about sound and music
• Numberblocks to understand math basics
Devices, kits and tools are not the only "things" we check out. I'm most excited about our seed library's second year! We have a robust selection of flowers, vegetables and herbs available with your library card as you get ready for sowing season.
The seed library officially opens on Feb. 8, and you should make sure to stop by around then for the best selection.
We also have an event to get you ready. Make sure to join us Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. for our "Winter Sowing Workshop: Seed Starting in the Winter" class.
Hinsdale's own Vern Goers Greenhouse donated many of our seeds, so when you stop by next, please thank them for their support. We also owe a debt of gratitude to our local teen volunteers who painstakingly packed and labeled each of our hundreds of seed packets.
No matter what your wintertime fantasies contain, we can help make your daydreams a reality - so stop by Hinsdale Public Library soon.
- Lizzy Boden is the adult services manager at Hinsdale Public Library. Ask any of the librarians for help with the Library of Things.
