Libraries have always lent books. In Halifax they’ve been lending a lot more for years, and the list keeps growing. Your Halifax Public Libraries card can get you a banjo, a bicycle or a radon detector. At Central Library it also gets you into a makerspace with 3D printers and sewing machines, and a media studio with recording rooms. Some of this is old news. The radon program began in 2017 and the instrument library in 2018. Some of it is brand new: field hockey kits arrived at Keshen Goodman this past July. Here is what the library’s own website says is on offer, and when each program started.

Things you can borrow

The Musical Instrument Lending Library launched July 11, 2018 at Alderney Gate. Sun Life Financial donated 150 instruments, and singer-songwriter Joel Plaskett added a tenor guitar. The collection now has more than 150 instruments, including guitars, ukuleles, banjos, violins and keyboards. It’s free. You place a hold online and pick the instrument up at a branch. It’s one per card for three weeks.

The library’s radon detector loan started in 2017, with the Lung Association of Nova Scotia and the provincial library. By 2019 some waits were up to eight months, and the province put in $30,000 for 100 more detectors. The library says radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and is found in nearly all homes in Canada.

Sports kits began at Sackville in August 2022 with the Free to Play collection. Alderney Gate added disc golf kits in July 2024, and Keshen Goodman added field hockey kits in July 2026. Kits are limited, and you return them in person to the branch you borrowed from.

At the J.D. Shatford Memorial Public Library in Hubbards, you can borrow a bicycle. There are nine adult-sized bikes, free with your card, each with a helmet, lock and bell. You sign a waiver in person, and bikes go out in daylight hours only. Captain William Spry lends a bird watching kit.

There are also Memory Kits made with the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, and a flash card collection housed at Tantallon. The accessibility page lists large print books, audiobooks, Braille children’s books and captioned DVDs.

Things you can use in the branch

Central Library opened in December 2014 with two sound-resistant studios. The Media Studio is free, with recording rooms, Mac editing stations and equipment to digitize records, cassettes and VHS tapes. You need a card, a booking and the orientation videos.

On the same floor, the Lou Duggan Creative Studio officially opened in January 2020, a legacy gift from Lou Duggan. It’s open during scheduled programs only. Drop-in equipment includes two 3D printers, sewing machines, a serger, Cricut cutters and soldering tools. Upcoming drop-ins are Monday, Oct. 5 (sewing 2 to 5 p.m., creative studio 6 to 8 p.m.) and Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Every branch has iPads to use for up to two hours, and 12 have PlayStation consoles. WiFi is free at every location, with no card or password. Members can book study rooms for free.

Online and by mail

Your card works for hoopla (three titles a month) and Kanopy (10 plays a month). The library’s Other Ways to Borrow page covers interlibrary loans and free home delivery for people who can’t visit.

Availability and loan rules can change. Check the library’s website or call your branch before you go.