Recreation Equipment Lockers in Parks

 Lockers in Parks Near Libraries

Public Libraries near parks  sometimes have no room,  or funds  for lending recreation equipment.  Here is another Library-Parks Recreation model, that involves Public Libraries simply lending keys to lockers in nearby parks. 

-Have  parks departments    install equipment storage lockers in  parks  near libraries

 
Lockers  like these could offer parkgoers  scores of  different pieces of recreation  equipment   link

-Each locker has one  or  several related  recreation   items in it.

 - Items in  each locker will be geared to a specific recreation category(baseball, gardening tools , childrens toys) , or  special need(autism , wheelchair,  visual impairement   etc) .  

-The lockers  would be stocked with  multiple copies of  high demand items, single copies of lower demand   items.

Checkout
-You go to library to check out a  locker key with your library card.  (alternatively get combination to a locker from a app)

-For most items keys must be returned before library closing. For some special needs items checkout would ; be for longer periods. . 

-Library responsible for keys/lending/fines

- parks department responsible  for locker installation/stocking/maintenance.. 

-Rarely requested items 
 These would be requested from the library catalog online and brought to the lockers on an as needed basis. There are a number of ways to get items to the lockers,based on delivery volume,  the most cost effective might be to  simply contract with USPS, UPS or Fedex Ground , to deliver items to  lockers, then have the person who delivered the item  drop an envelope with the locker key into a nearby  mailbox.


-Installing some  large lockers in parks will allow for the checkout  of larger/heavier  items,                                                               

 

Corn Hole




 foosball table with wheels

Basketball for Kids

Special needs tricycle 




-Additionally schools, community organizations,   and special needs groups/individuals     can checkout keys to empty lockers, to store their own recreation equipment on site at a park.  By allowing groups  long term access to a large locker in a park inclusive play ,  becomes much easier to achieve in our parks.

 Lockers in Parks Not Near Libraries

When Public Libraries are adjacent or near parks equipment/key loan can be for just the day. When distances from library to park are further:

-equipment may be borrowed for longer periods

-it may be possible to return keys by mail

Theft

  I surveyed  a number of librarians who lend recreation equipment  about the issue and they did not find this a worrisome issue.

 I'm sure books and DVD's  are stolen from libraries  at times It's part of the cost of running a library. There are ways to minimize theft.For instance, 

-The Mc Arthur Library in Biddlesford Maine, does not leave recreation equipment out, they leave laminated pictures of the equipment out. You go to the desk with the picture and they give you the item. 

-Leaving  portable  equipment out in a park or library , it can easily get stolen. The locker system, assures  that only the person with a key to a locker can steal the item in the locker. To put it another way the equipment in the lockers can be stolen by a far smaller number of people  then books and DVD's  in a open stack  library.