The Library of Things provides a wide variety of items that you can borrow for a short period of time for a small fee. These are mostly items you might only need to use occasionally, ranging from tools to help with gardening and DIY projects to equipment for a party or a camping trip.

By borrowing these items rather than buying them you can save money and help the environment by reducing consumption and waste.

Step 1 - become a member

The first step is to register an account.

After you have created an account you can select one of the available membership options:

• Regular membership - free to register and you pay the loan fees listed for any item you borrow
• Supporter membership - £50 for one year. No loan fees and you also help to fund our running costs

Step 2 - borrow items

Once you have set up your membership you can reserve items from the catalogue on this website (you will need to be logged into your account to see this option).

Come and collect your chosen item(s) from the Library of Things at the Lindfield Scouts Hut on Eastern Road (Lindfield rather than Haywards Heath, RH16 2LP) during our opening hours. If you have added credit to your account the loan fee will be deducted when you collect the item or you can pay by debit/credit card or cash if you prefer (supporter members do not pay any loan fees). You will need to pay a deposit when collecting a small number of high-value items; the catalogue shows where this is the case.

The first time you borrow an item please bring two pieces of ID (a photo ID and a proof of address) as we need to confirm your personal details before we can release an item. All personal information is handled in accordance with our privacy policy.

Use the item and then clean and return it by the end of your loan. Items need to be returned during our opening hours. All members will be charged a late fee of £1 per item per day if items are not returned by the agreed date.

Extending a loan

If you find you need the item for a little longer than your original booking then you can extend your loan as long as no other members have reserved the item already. Please contact us by email (contactsharehh@gmail.com) at least 24 hours before your original return date to request an extension as the booking system does not provide an option for you to extend a loan yourself.