Libraries as Pioneers of the Sharing Economy
Libraries serve as low-threshold testbeds for developing and experimenting with effective sharing economy models. Successful practices piloted in libraries can spread to other parts of society, accelerating the ecological sustainability transformation.
In a sharing economy, goods, such as items, books, and spaces, are borrowed, rented, or shared among individuals, communities, organizations, or businesses. It offers an alternative to buying and owning, reducing consumption and improving the use of existing resources. Sharing helps protect nature, the climate, and finances, while also fostering social networks and community. As the model grows, it can even improve product quality—shared-use items are more likely to be durable, repairable, and maintainable.
Though the term “sharing economy” is relatively new, public libraries have practiced it throughout their existence—starting in Finland as early as 1794. Libraries are a living example of how the public sector can actively enable sharing. Today, libraries lend not only traditional materials like books and magazines but also films, music, objects, spaces, and digital services.
“The sharing economy is a crucial part of the sustainability transition, and we need much more of it. Libraries are key pioneers: we offer a low-barrier space to test and develop practical sharing economy models and provide an example that can be applied more broadly in society,” says Harri Sahavirta, Head of the Vallila and Arabianranta libraries.
According to Sahavirta, the core mission of libraries remains promoting a diverse reading culture, but they also support democracy, freedom of expression, active citizenship, and a sustainable society. He has worked extensively on sustainability in the library field, including nearly 15 years in the IFLA Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Special Interest Group, where he has served as both chair and secretary. In Finland, he has led the national Green Library initiative.
Circulating Goods Through Libraries
Since the 2010s, the selection of items available for loan in libraries has grown significantly. Libraries now lend items like moisture meters, sports equipment, drills, musical instruments, blood pressure monitors, strollers, sewing machines, bat detectors, Santa costumes, and even tickets to museums and sports events. These loans are popular—many items are in constant circulation despite short loan periods and limited reservation options. In the Vaara libraries of North Karelia, the most borrowed items in 2023 included game controllers, energy meters, tote bags, snowshoes, moving boxes, and an emotional skills game for children.
Object lending is a relatively new concept, and there are no established practices for making acquisitions. Library material budgets are not intended for purchasing objects, so a significant portion of them come from partners or donors. Partners often also help with maintenance—something libraries may lack resources or expertise for. In Helsinki City Library, some items have been purchased from the operational budget, and discussions are underway to allocate part of the materials budget for item lending.
“- We have tried to narrow down the selection – there are countless possible items – so that the items available for loan would support the core principles of the city and libraries, such as well-being, culture, education, active citizenship, and everyday life, and would also promote sustainability. Measuring devices are some of the best examples,” says Sahavirta.
There are no set criteria for items selected, but libraries consider factors like usefulness, durability, size, and ease of use. Customer wishes are also taken into account in acquisitions. A drill is a perennial favorite among items borrowed from libraries and a good example of a commodity that most people rarely need but which is essential at times. Libraries strive to include useful items in their collections that many people do not find it practical to own. In addition to praise, the expansion of libraries’ roles has also attracted criticism and concern.
“Library collections have evolved over time—and each change has met resistance: from detective novels and popular fiction to audiovisual materials and now item lending. The library is expanding quite naturally into new areas.
That said, practical limits restrict the expansion of item lending. According to Sahavirta, it cannot become a library’s core function, as libraries are primarily designed for literature and reading. A large-scale lending program would require extra space, shelving, storage, and robust acquisition and maintenance systems. Thus, item lending will likely remain small in scale from a societal viewpoint.
“In existing libraries, lending volumes won’t reach a system-changing level, but libraries’ role as pioneers is still vital,” Sahavirta emphasizes.
As the sustainability transition advances, effective sharing models developed in libraries can be adapted more broadly—perhaps through separate “tool libraries.” The sharing economy is growing across Europe and the U.S., where tool-lending libraries and spaces already exist.
“To scale item lending meaningfully, we’d need to establish dedicated item libraries—or even specialized lending hubs for specific items, like tools.”
The library of the future could also offer more means of transport than it does today, including box bikes and electric cars. In May 2023, Turku City Library conducted a three-week trial in collaboration with Toyota. In the trial, customers with a driver’s license could borrow an electric car for up to six hours with their library card. The reservation calendar was filled within half an hour. The trial was a success: customer feedback was enthusiastic, the library gained valuable experience, media attention brought visibility to the possibilities of the sharing economy, and the car remained in pristine condition despite the skepticism expressed in advance on discussion forums.
Shared Spaces Are the Heart of the Sharing Economy
According to the Finnish Library Act, public libraries must provide access to materials, knowledge, and cultural content, as well as spaces for learning, hobbies, work, and civic engagement. Seniors arrive in the morning to read newspapers, laptop workers settle in during the day, and schoolchildren arrive in the afternoon, Sahavirta notes. In addition to open public spaces, Helsinki libraries offer over 100 reservable rooms, booked nearly 80,000 times in 2024.
“Free spaces open to everyone are at the heart of the sharing economy in libraries. At times, every table and chair is in use, the exhibition spaces are fully booked, and there is a great need for small meeting rooms in particular. The demand for space is considerably higher than what we can offer.”
Libraries play a major role in local communities as places for gathering and connection. They host small-scale events where people share knowledge, skills, and ideas, engage in planning and decision-making, or simply spend time together. Community spirit is created through interaction and working together.
Libraries also provide shared equipment such as public computers, printers, scanners, sewing machines, and 3D printers. By offering access to such tools, libraries reduce the need for personal ownership. Unlike loaned items, these devices are continuously available to many users. In Helsinki, shared equipment was booked over 30,000 times in 2024—a 38% increase from the previous year.
Libraries are increasingly offering free advisory services. Libraries provide extensive digital guidance, for example, in the use of devices and online services and in information retrieval, which supports participation and coping with everyday life. Libraries are also natural venues for free services organized by other parties, such as social services counseling or legal aid, which offers legal advice in many locations. According to Sahavirta, these services align well with library goals—as long as they are free of charge.
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