Toy Libraries

Are you familiar with the concept of toy libraries? 
I was not until I met Chris Harris who attended my “Building Our Future Conference” as a representative of the American Library Association and the “ALA Literacy and Gaming Grant.”

It appears, according to Harris and others I have spoken with, that toy libraries, or lekoteks, are common in other parts of the world. In fact, there is even an International Toy Library Association. 

I did some on line research and found that there is a website listed for a USA Toy Library Association but it is temporarily disabled. This may, unfortunately, speak to the status of toy libraries in the US.

No matter what the case, this is an area in which Toy Nation should get involved. I can see a number of benefits to Toy Nation encouraging and supporting the growth of toy libraries in the US, whether within traditional libraries or unique toy libraries: 

• It is good for children and the community because it provides access to toys for those who cannot afford them. 
• It is good for toy companies and consumers as it gives children a chance to play with toys and see if they and their parents want to own them. 
• In the case of traditional libraries, it encourages more children to come to use their services.

Public and school libraries want to become more involved with toys. In his Infomancy blog ,“Library Land Meets Toy Nation,” Chris Harris states:

Libraries have rather a lot in common with the toy industry. Both of us are working on finding a connection between our “traditional” backgrounds and an increasingly digital future. Just as libraries have struggled with redefining the term “library” to move beyond just books, the toy industry is searching for ways to broaden the potential reach for “toys” beyond children (especially in the face of “adult toy” having other meanings). The internet doesn’t replace everything in a library just as video games and electronic toys don’t replace the need for blocks and other traditional toys. For both of our worlds this is more of a perceptual problem than anything else.

Anyone wanting to contact Chris Harris about how Library Land and Toy Nation can work together can do so by visiting his blog or contacting him at infomancy@gmail.com.