Photo: Nathan Aguirre on Unsplash
Most people know the library for books. Prince William Public Libraries also lends out a thermal camera, an 86-piece tool kit and a pickleball set, and it gives away free seeds. With winter coming and the holidays close, a few of these offerings could save you money.
Borrow it instead of buying it
The Library of Things lets cardholders borrow useful items for a project, a trip or a short-term need. Browse the collection in the online catalog, place a hold and pick up your item at the branch you choose.
The item most timely for this season is the thermal camera, a rechargeable imaging camera for finding hot and cool spots in your home. That makes it a way to track down drafts around windows and doors before the cold sets in. If heating costs are on your mind, the county's home energy assistance applications are also due Nov. 13.
Other items on the list include a hand tools kit with 86 pieces in a carrying case, a bicycle repair kit, and a leveling laser that doubles as a stud finder and can also detect wires. You can borrow a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, a Chromebook laptop and a four-person pickleball set. A Virginia State Parks backpack includes a free pass to a state park.
There's also a lot for kids and families. The collection includes American Girl doll kits, a child-size keyboard piano, Playaway audio devices and game-and-app launchpads, and WhaZoodle learning speakers designed for ages 3 to 12. For quieter moments, you can borrow a guided meditation and sleep machine or a portable LED light with 10,000 lux of brightness. Memory kits are listed too, each with a videodisc and 40 companion photo and activity cards. A battery-operated portable Blu-ray player is available, and the library lists an external CD/DVD drive as coming soon.
Bring your book club
The Book Club to Go Kits take the work out of hosting a discussion. Each kit has up to 10 copies of a title picked by librarians, including a Large Print edition when one is available. Kits are available for children, teens and adults. They can be checked out for six weeks and renewed.
The library runs two makerspaces: Hive 8051 at Bull Run Library and Studio 8601 at Central Library. They offer Cricut machines, embroidery and sewing machines, heat presses and a Moxie Long Arm Quilting Machine. Bull Run also offers 3D printing, and Central is home to RELIC's Digital Preservation Lab.
Makerspaces are open to patrons 13 and older. Children 12 and younger must be directly supervised by a parent or guardian. Before you visit, download and sign the library's release and photo permission form, which is required for entry. The makerspace page also lists classes. A Glowforge magnet class, part of the library's VA250 programming, is set for Saturday, Nov. 7, at 11 a.m. at Hive 8051.
Grow something
The Little Free Seed Library gives away vegetable, herb, pollinator and native plant seeds at six branches: Central, Chinn Park, Haymarket Gainesville, Manassas City, Montclair and Potomac. You don't need a library card or a checkout. The program comes from the Prince William County Seed Library Coalition, which includes the library system, Virginia Cooperative Extension and local garden clubs. It was funded in part by a $10,000 ChangeX grant from the AWS Northern Virginia Community Fund, awarded to the Garden Club of Montclair.
The library's seed page also links to a vegetable planting calendar for Prince William County with recommended planting dates for more than 25 crops. Gardeners with questions can call the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener line at 703-792-7747 or visit the VCE office at 8033 Ashton Ave. in Manassas, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
One more thing: the library's Squirt the Turtle Live Cam at Chinn Park Library is online for anyone who wants a quick break.
How to get started
Visit pwcva.gov/library, download the Prince William Public Libraries app, or stop by any of the system's 12 branches.
Source: Prince William Public Libraries.
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