A Series with Natalie Cubbon, Projects Coordinator for the Oil Region Library Association

Oil Region libraries have made significant efforts to diversify borrowable collections in order to fulfill more community needs. We have moved way beyond providing just books; instead we look to provide all types of resources people may need, like household tools & equipment, board games & so much more.

Tools & Equipment
Certain tools and equipment can be costly and inconvenient to acquire. If you’re unsure of what you need or whether it’s even worth buying for yourself, borrowing tools for free from your library can be very valuable. Household tools such as power drills, stud finders, laser levels, air quality monitors, bolt cutters, and thermal leak detectors are available to borrow from any ORLA location, free of charge with your library card.

WiFi HotSpots are consistently our most popular item – for $10 per week, WiFi Hotspots provide an internet connection anywhere in the nation in range of a cellular connection.

Games
From Monopoly to Nintendo, games are a great way to wind down or spend quality time with friends and family. But games, especially video games, can get expensive very quickly. We are pleased to offer many different types of gaming experiences at ORLA locations: Oculus Quest 2, Nintendo Wii, and many different types of board games and card games. All gaming items are freely available to borrow with your library card and make for a great way to have a fun-filled weekend without breaking the bank!

STEM Kits & Experience Passes
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) topics and activities have become wildly popular in schools and libraries all over the country. That’s why we began offering STEM Kits to check out with your library card! STEM Kits consist of robotics, coding, and building sets that allow kids to explore different fields of science in a fun and engaging way. These kits are just as great in the classroom as they are at home!

Experience Passes give you the opportunity to visit local museums and parks for free with your library card. We recently partnered with Drake Well Museum & Park to offer Experience Passes for free family admission, and will soon be partnering with the Venango Museum of Art, Science & Industry to do the same.

For more information and to see a full list of borrowable items, you can visit oilregionlibraries.org/books-more/tools-kits -games-more/ or any ORLA location.

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s November 2022 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.