In 2022, we actively participated in spreading the concept of Libraries of Things (LoTs) throughout Ljubljana and Slovenia. Within the NEB Connect project, "Building Sharing Community," we established a new pickup location on the opposite side of Ljubljana in the Novo Brdo neighborhood.
We also explored other practices of the sharing economy that could be implemented at the neighborhood level. Outside the project, we began identifying institutions and organizations in larger Slovenian cities that could incorporate a library of things into their activities. Among the many organizations expressing interest were the Center for Reuse in Velenje and the Goriška Library of France Bevk.
In the autumn of 2023, in collaboration with the Goriška Library of France Bevk and the Municipality of Velenje, we initiated a project designed as a mentoring program aimed at establishing two new units: one within the France Bevk Library in Nova Gorica and the other within the Center for Reuse in Velenje, in collaboration with other public institutions.
By the end of the project, our goal is to demonstrate how integrating a library of things into existing structures can ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the new units while maintaining the nonprofit nature of item lending.