Explore Beyond Books With New Bedford Public Library’s ‘Funbrary’ Collection

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — New Bedford's Free Public Library has been gaining much attention with an innovative program that introduces people to a fun way of saving and learning.

The Funbrary encourages exploration through its collection of items available to borrow. The New Bedford Free Public Library provides patrons access to items that encourage exploration, waste reduction, and learning while saving money.

Even if you're looking for something more practical, like bike locks, wall stud finders or thermal leak detectors, the Funbrary has you covered.

The items purchased in the Funbrary Collection were through grant funding. The City's Department of Facilities and Fleet Management (DFFM) received grant funding from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in recognition of the City's recycling efforts. DFFM has been funding the Funbrary Collection since 2020.

Since then, the number of checkouts by library patrons has increased by 332 percent. The success continues to climb through this program and its fun initiative that helps waste management by reusing items that often are a one-time use.

"Rather than multiple families purchasing tennis rackets, letter/number cake pans, or giant Jenga, possibly to use for a short time, the whole community can benefit by reusing these items. Reuse means less waste," said Marissa Perez-Dormitzer, Waste Reduction Manager from the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District.

"People can try items out and decide if they want to buy them for their homes, rather than buy, try, and trash," she said.

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The collection goes beyond traditional items. Learning a new skill could become more convenient by quickly browsing the Funbrary collection. The most popular items checked out from the collection are musical instruments, microphones, a microscope kit, a light-up tracing pad, and the bean bag toss.

Video game lovers can fulfill their nostalgia with Frogger, Pac-Man, an NES Classic and other retro gaming systems. With warmer weather also around the corner, lawn games have become popular on the shelves, perfect for a party or games with friends.

The collection is easy to navigate by using magnet cards. Rather than having multiple items take up display space in the library, show the card of the preferred item to check out, and someone will get it for you.

All New Bedford library locations may look different depending on their Funbrary item availability. However, a detailed list of items can be found on the library's website.

Items are available for checkout for a week with a SAILS Library card. Borrowers must be 18 years old and can have up to three items checked out.