In London, the Library of Things, a place where everything can be rented. A community dedicated to the collaborative economy (photo)

Opened inside a disused shipping container, it now hosts hundreds of members who have decided to invest in the collaborative economy. Inside this shop, you can borrow items you rarely use and that it wouldn't make sense to buy at very low prices.

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RENT INSTEAD OF BUYING

LIBRARY OF THINGS LONDON

Buying is not always the right solution. Often the possession of an object, of a household appliance or a work tool, it can become a waste in relation to the time of use. Then Why buy when you can rent? This must have been the question the owners of the Library of things, the London Library of Things, in Great Britain. It is undeniable, in fact, that there are a whole series of objects, especially appliances, which are used sporadically, from lawnmowers to carpet cleaners, through camping equipment, and that it makes no sense to buyThe Library has decided to respond to all these needs, a community more than a shop, which fully embodies the spirit of thecollaborative economy.

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The photos are taken from the Facebook page of the Library of things

THE LIBRARY OF THINGS

This kind of experiments are taking place all over the world and the examples are increasingly frequent. In the case of London, the Library opened inside a container converted and after a series of temporary test openings it took off very well. Furthermore, most of the costs were covered by donations collected through the crowdfunding systemToday the members are several hundred and the Library has become a real business modelInside, customers can to rent kitchen utensils or appliances after checking online to see if the library has them available. According to the owners, this is made possible by confidence that more and more people place in the sharing and in the loan.

The Library of Things London

RENT INSTEAD OF BUYING

This type of activity is spreading not only in the UK, but all over the world with similar experiences in the US, Germany, Holland and Canada. And it's a trend that isn't limited to objects but also extends to services. The so-called "sharing economy”, in fact, is expected to be worth globally 335 billion dollars a year by 2025, a huge figure that will continue to grow thanks to services like Airbnb, Uber, Zipcar, and TaskRabbit, which are profoundly changing their respective sectors.

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