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Check out baking pans from the library!?!

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10

6 years ago

Just read this and wanted to share this. The article indicates that this is something a number of local libraries offer - going back decades in at lest one case.

https://www.marthastewart.com/syndication/specialty-baking-pans-philadelphia-library?

"...In the firehose of words that is Twitter, occasionally (very occasionally!), interesting tidbits about life find their way through. One example comes from journalist Annemarie Dooling who recently tweeted a photo of a library in the Philadelphia area—specifically, the Ludington Library in Lower Merion—where people can check out specialty baking pans for a week at a time.

The tweet has generated quite a response, racking up over 57,000 likes and another nearly 5,000 retweets. But perhaps more importantly, it also opened up a discussion about how baking pans at libraries may not be as uncommon as it might sound. (In fact, all the non-book things you can find at libraries may surprise you.)

The Akron-Summit County Public Library responded with its own photo, writing, "We lend cake pans, kitchen tools, and artwork!" And in a less official capacity, someone replied to Dooling's post, writing, "You can do that in Brookline, MA, too." Apparently, according to other responses, the same goes for the Coffey County libraries in Kansas and plenty of other more vague places like "Central VT."..."

Haven't seen that at our libraries here, but I like it! Article also suggests donating your unused bakeware might be a possibility for those in areas with such library services.

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party_music50

6 years ago

Never heard of checking out baking pans, but one of the libraries near here allows people to check out snowshoes. :)

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Comments (13)

plllog
6 years ago
PM, consider me boggled! There must be an interesting history to snowshoes!

The specialty baking pans makes sense. Perhaps they were gotten from an estate when a great baker passed on, or maybe the women's groups took a collection of pennies in lean times and bought the bakeware that everybody wanted to use once or twice per year, and the lending system already in use at the library seemed like the best way to house and distribute them. I can think of more ways it could have started as well.

As far as I know, the local libraries have books, periodicals and recordings, including digital. I wouldn't be surprised if there were small art things too. There are other programs that lend other things, from toys to bicycles, but not from the library.
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click click cut/paste click and its on my way to my library branch I'm holding you accountable for my waistline
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Ugh, no wonder it was in the back of the shed! I'm so lazy, my enthusiasm for all of that might not be there. Since I already have the romertopf for bread, I might put this one in with the "donate to Goodwill" pile. Or I could try it a couple of times with greased parchment paper. Thanks for the tips though!! Very helpful! I appreciate very much that you took time to answer!
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rockypointdog
6 years ago
Great idea. I have never even thought of checking the library for that. There are definitely things that I don't bake because I don't want to buy/store a specialty pan for an item that I will bake only once, or very rarely.
naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Our library loans bicycles with helmets at many branches near bike trails, but no baking pans that I know about.

Edit: Oops, no helmets, only the bikes
foodonastump
6 years ago
I just looked it up, found an article about interesting things libraries here on LI loan out. Beach chairs and sand toys in the Hamptons, museum passes, American Girl dolls... and yes baking pans! Not near me, and it seems limited to cartoon character shaped. Great idea.
bpath
6 years ago
A library near me lends out Roku, GoPro, Kindles each Loaded with a genre. My library as a kid lent out artwork! Lending specialty cookware is a great idea, since we already have a cookbook club, that meets to talk about and present dishes made from certain types of cookbooks.
annie1992
6 years ago
Our local library lends out canning equipment like jar lifters and wire baskets for scalding fruit, both pressure and hot water bath canners, the Ball Blue Book and they have a community garden behind the library. They also have a seed library where you can take whatever you need, and they ask that you bring back seeds for the next year, it doesn't have to be the same kind you checked out.

No baking pans, though...

Annie
annie1992
6 years ago
I tried to edit, but of course, that doesn't work. I wanted to add that you can also check out "knit kits" and they have knitting nights twice a month, with "experts" there to help beginners. No baking pans, though...

Annie
agmss15
6 years ago
There was just a story about a library here (Maine) that just started lending outdoor gear.
party_music50
6 years ago
These lending items are awesome! I imagine the most popular cake pans would be the specialty characters and shapes required for kids' birthday cakes! I remember hand-shaping a Gumby one year. lol!
graywings123
6 years ago
I read about a library somewhere in the US that loaned out garden equipment. These are all great ideas.
bragu_DSM 5
6 years ago
I wanna go to Florida and see if they have an everglades boat I can check out ...
Nancy 6b
6 years ago
People donate seeds and out library gives them out. I was quite surprised in the last year the loan sewing machines and a few musical instruments.

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