Beyond books: The varied, and perhaps unexpected, free offerings at the library

Visitors explore the Central Library following its opening in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The four-storey building cost $245 million to construct and the 240,000-square-foot interior centres around a four-storey central atrium topped by a skylight. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Janelle Powell and her husband went to their local library branch for an electric saw and grabbed a pasta maker while they were at it.

The Markham, Ont., couple were contemplating buying the power tool for a one-off home reno project, but didn’t think they would use it again.

So to the library they went.

“We were doing that checkout process (and) I noticed that they had a pasta maker,” said Powell, who works in marketing and writes online about various “life hacks” on the side.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m borrowing this.’”

After two weeks whipping up ravioli and other pasta shapes, Powell asked herself whether she wanted to buy her own machine.

It was fun, but she concluded “probably not.”

Libraries have far more to offer than books and hushed spaces. Sometimes you have to ask or dig around, but a library card can get you a wide array of tools, gadgets, resources and services at no cost.

For littles

From drop-in storytimes to play areas with a rotating selection of toys, libraries can be a haven for parents looking to save cash — and their sanity — as they try to keep their kids occupied.

“We see some of the same families and children repeatedly every single day,” said Barb Gillard, executive director of visitor experience at the Calgary Public Library.

There are several early learning centres at branches across the city. One features a decommissioned fire engine where kids can push buttons to make the lights go, listen to recordings of pretend emergency calls and don mini firefighter gear. Another has a real-life helicopter.

For Powell, checking out video games at the Markham library has been a better option than shelling out $80 a pop for new ones her nine-year-old quickly beats.

The toy library has also been a godsend, allowing her to grab a bag for a week and rotate them out before her two-year-old loses interest.

“I wish I knew about it before I had my second son because you spend so much on toys and trying to entertain your kids and they get bored of them so quickly.”

For workers and job seekers

The Vancouver Public Library has been seeing more people use its spaces for remote work post-pandemic, said director of information technology and collections Kay Cahill.

“There’s no price of admission. You don’t have to go and keep buying cups of coffee to feel like you can stay,” she said, adding the library is also thinking about adding soundproof pods so people can take video calls in privacy.

Libraries generally have plentiful power plugs, good wireless networks, meeting rooms and some free printing available.

Computers available to borrow often come preloaded with software that would otherwise carry a hefty subscription price.

For creators and art lovers

Audio-visual equipment, recording suites, editing software and green-screen studios are some of the offerings your city’s library may have.

The Toronto Public Library has a dozen Digital Innovation Hubs spread across the city, with various software programs, specialized equipment and courses. A 3D printer can be used for a minimal fee.

“Instead of having to go out and buy something or pay for a service or a course, you now have the resources to potentially do it yourself,” said Natalie Colaiacovo, the Toronto library’s manager of innovation services.

“Recently I had a customer reach out to me who was experiencing homelessness and she mentioned that she was using our graphic design tablet and the software in the Digital Innovation Hub to help her achieve her goal of self-publishing a children’s book.”

The North York branch has a fabrication studio with sewing machines, a serger, embroidery machine, heat press, vinyl cutter and button maker. The Vancouver library runs in-demand clothes-mending courses.

Many libraries have musical instruments that can be checked out.

“If you don’t want to invest in the instrument, if you’re not sure if it’s something you’re going to enjoy, you can borrow it for a short amount of time to try it out,” said Gillard, in Calgary.

The Vancouver library was flooded with interest the day it opened its instrument-lending program, recalled Cahill.

“Literally everything went out except for one left-handed guitar,” she said.

Some libraries have passes to local museums and other attractions.

And of course, there are films available to stream through Kanopy, ebooks, audiobooks and magazines through Libby and thousands of newspapers from around the world through Press Reader.

Powell figures she’s saved thousands with her library card.

She said she was deluged with comments after she posted a video chronicling her foray into pasta-making, incredulous that the machine could be borrowed from the library.

“It just kind of dawned on me that most people don’t realize the library allows you to borrow things beyond books,” she said. “It’s evolved so much past that.”

-- Lauren Krugel

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025