The Modern Library: How Defiance Public Library System Is Going Beyond Books

Defiance Public Library

There’s a lot more than books at the Defiance Public Library System (DPLS).

In the last few years, the library district has added several non-book services including the museum pass program, Library of Things, Lit Kits, notary services, the MakerSpace, craft exchanges and much more.

“We’ve absolutely seen an increase in awareness over the past few years, but some community members have yet to discover all we have to offer,” noted Taryn Lawson, communications coordinator for the district. “Books are still what many people associate with the library, so part of our job is continuing to highlight these additional services. Once people discover things like our Library of Things or MakerSpace, they’re often excited – and they tend to come back and explore even more.”

Some of the non-book offerings from the library are well-known while others are not.

“Community awareness of our offerings varies by service: our notary services are used frequently, the Lit Kits always end up being reserved, and the MakerSpace is steadily growing in

Library of Things- located conveniently next to the central checkout counter at Defiance Public Library.

both usage and program attendance,” Lawson said. “The 3D printers are extremely popular. We want to make sure everyone who could benefit from the free museum pass program and our homebound delivery service know that those things are available to them as well.”

The most popular non-book services for the district may not be what people think.

“Hotspots are our highest circulating non-traditional item,” acknowledged Lawson. “They meet a very real and ongoing need in our community for reliable internet access, which is essential for things like schoolwork, job applications, telehealth and more. Not everyone has access at home, and our hotspots help bridge that gap, which is why they are in high demand.”

The next most popular items are the ghost hunting kit and the metal detectors located in the

Ghost Hunting Kit available to check out with your DPLS library card.

Library of Things. The Library of Things is a collection of non-traditional items that patrons can check out for 14 days. A few of the other items available are a travel telescope, pickle ball set, LED projector, traffic cones and blood pressure monitor. A full list is available on the library’s website, defiancelibrary.org.

One service that gets talked about quite a bit is the MakerSpace. The MakerSpace is where library patrons can use technology to create and tinker with things. The MakerSpace includes items such as a button maker, Hovercam, sewing machine, scanner, 3D printer, Silhouette Cameo and more. 

Library patrons have used the MakerSpace to make a variety of things.

“I once had a teen who made replacement limbs for their sister’s Barbies after their puppy chewed up the originals,” recalled Cara Bolley, emerging technologies lead/MakerSpace librarian. “They ended up getting normal ones but also used TinkerCad to make more creative ones including a carton of milk and a chicken leg.

“We also have a group of teens who have been designing and using supplies from the MakerSpace to create dragon puppets. It’s our teen users who have embraced their creative side in the space. There has also been a lot of creative upcycling of old clothing and jewelry done in the space as well.”

The Lit Kits also are gaining in popularity. 

You never know what you'll find inside the Defiance Public Library!

The kits originally were inspired by subscription box services. The Lit Kits have several items in them including two library books. The books must be returned to the library, but everything else in the box patrons get to keep.  Patrons sign up for a three-month subscription and must pick up the boxes before the 7th of each month. 

“The idea came from researching other libraries across the nation that were making book subscription boxes for teens,” explained Pam Kranenburg, teen librarian. “The libraries’ boxes gained popularity during COVID. Since we were partially open with no in-person programming, we decided to start this service for our area teens.”

While most of the boxes Kranenburg saw were not themed, she decided that would add a fun component.  She used the same idea for filling them and some of the items patrons were able to keep were crocheted fruits or vegetables that went with the themes.

While the Lit Kits were initially geared for teens, adult ones were added.

“We kept getting requests for an adult version, so we transitioned Shelf Indulgence (the formerly themed monthly book list) into a themed monthly Lit Kit for adults,” stated Hilary Gabers, adult services associate. 

Museum Passes available to checkout with your DPLS library card.

One service that patrons of all ages have enjoyed are the museum passes. The library has passes for admission to five area museums – Armstrong Air & Space Museum, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservancy, Fort Wayne Museum of Art and Science Central Fort Wayne.

Lawson pointed out that it’s not uncommon for libraries to offer passes to patrons to museums and other educational or cultural destinations.

“Prior to joining us at DPLS, our director, Cara Potter, had worked in public and academic libraries in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and her previous libraries had all offered similar programs,” she related.

There are many other programs and non-book offerings the library district has. For example, the Sherwood and Defiance locations recently had a craft exchange.

Sherwood Branch Library, photo credit: Sherwood Branch Library Facebook Page

“The Defiance exchange was busy, with a lot of supplies coming in and out,” reflected Bolley. “It was exciting to see everyone find supplies they could use for their current projects or to inspire new ideas. Sherwood‘s was a bit slower (patron-wise), but a good chuck of supplies were brought in and picked up.”

Any supplies left were either used at the locations or put in a bin for free craft suppliers near maker kits.

In addition to the other non-book services, the library district offers many different programs. Many of those programs do center around books, especially the summer reading challenge which will run June 1-July 26. All three libraries – Defiance, Sherwood and Hicksville – will have a variety of free and fun programs for patrons of all ages during the challenge, Lawson stated.

For more information, visit defiancelibrary.org/summer.

Plant Library locker outside of Defiance Public Library