A borrowing center, borrowing shop, borrowing bar, item library or library of things is a library of household items and tools, usually organized as a volunteer cooperative, nonprofit organization, or operated by the local public library.
Borrowing centers are part of the sharing economy, which was termed in 1984 by Harvard economist Martin Weitzman. In contrast to a rental store, which offers many of the same items, borrowing centres are operated on a non-profit or collective basis.
The concept of a borrowing center is not new. Historically some public libraries have offered items beyond print and audio-visual media, such as toys. The concept is also similar to toy libraries, which have existed since at least 1935, and tool libraries.
One of the better-known borrowing centers is the The Sharing Depot in Toronto, Canada.