There are more than 1.8 million books that can be checked out from the 19-branch system of the Baltimore County Public Library. But many people don’t know that you can also borrow a loom or a fishing pole.

Jamie Watson has been the collection development manager with the BCPL for the past 12 years, but she has loved books for as long as she can remember.

“My dad was a baseball coach and his players taught me to how to read when I was three and I’ve pretty much read ever since,” says Watson, 57, who grew up in Ohio. “I had my own home library—this is going to make me sound so nerdy—with a little stamper and I’d put a date due and everything.”

That young bookworm ended up making a career out of it. And while buying books is the biggest part of her job, the Library of Things, a collection of non-book objects loaned through the library—from Catan board games to rock and fossil kits—has been a whole lot of fun for Watson and her 12-person team.

“We’ve actually been buying things that aren’t traditional library items for a very long time,” she says, noting that one of the original items—dating back to at least the 1980s—was an engraver to help identify bicycles if they were lost or stolen.

California’s Sacramento Public Library brought the European concept to the United States more than 15 years ago, but in Baltimore County, the Library of Things started in earnest in 2017, when some individual branches got micro-grants from the library’s foundation to try some experimental collections. The Woodlawn Branch made science kits for early learners. The Catonsville Branch got telescopes to loan out. The Reisterstown Branch made “critter kits” with magnifying glasses and field guides to encourage families to get outside.

 

“When you start talking about the world of things, there’s no end.”

 

“We quickly learned that people loved them,” says Watson. But in order to make them scalable to more people, they needed to rethink their circulation logistics. “For example, if you wanted the Woodlawn science kit, you needed to drive over to Woodlawn to get it,” she says. “When you want to circulate a book, you slap a sticker on it and a call number and it’s ready to go, but there’s much more to think about when things aren’t in a perfect book-shaped package.”

That’s when they found an elegant solution. As long as you have a library card, you can access the full collection through the library’s website. You can put anything on hold, and once it’s available, it’s sent to your library branch via an inter-library mail system. “A little online shopping,” says Watson.

So, what else can someone find at the Library of Things? There are outdoor games like lawn darts, croquet, and corn-hole, as well as Chromebooks, tons of board games, and memory kits for the older community. One of the most popular items is the “outdoor movie night” with its inflatable screen and projector.

There are also fishing rods and tackle through a partnership with the North Point Branch and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Items mostly come out of the system’s budget, although some have been paid for with grants or through the foundation. They do not accept donated items. And while all of these things are kept at their respective branches, Watson dreams of one day having a single, more permanent collection.

“You’ll have the opportunity for more and bigger things,” she says. “When you start talking about the world of things, there’s no end.”

Other libraries throughout the country have musical instruments, tools, GoPros, sewing machines, and record players for loan.

The community feedback has been positive, with most borrowers excited to “try” something out before investing in it themselves. And there’s always that element of surprise when someone first learns they can check out items beyond books.

Says Watson, “It adds a measure of delight to our visitors—giving them items they might not expect to see at a library.”

New Year’s Eve is historically a night to class it up, toast champagne, and hopefully snag a kiss at midnight. And, while there’s certainly no shortage of adults-only events in this town, kids always love to get in on the festive fun, too.

This year, you can do it all because there’s tons of daytime action happening that your littles will gladly toot their noise-makers for. So, save the sparkly dresses and hors d’oeuvre for later and check out one of these kid-friendly events on NYE.

Midnight Noon at Maryland Science Center
At this annual New Year’s Eve celebration at the Maryland Science Center, kids can watch the ball drop long before bedtime. The ball drops at 12 noon, but there’s tons of celebrations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., like a live concert by the kid’s band Milkshake and tons of science-based play to be had. Plus, all the NYE activities are completely free with your admission, too, so you don’t have to worry about spending a ton to ring the new year in with the kids.

Kiddie Scoop Ball Drop at The Charmery

It’s a Baltimore holiday tradition to celebrate New Year’s at The Charmery. This year, the festivities take place at the ice cream factory’s newest location at Union Collective. The ball drops at 8 p.m. and it wouldn’t be complete without ice cream, shakes, beers, and the tunes of Bon Jovi by cover band Heart n Dagger. Doors open at 6:30, so come, eat, drink, and dance. But most importantly? Get those kids to bed before 2019.

Noontime New Year’s Eve at Port Discovery
The kid-fun is always endless at Port Discovery and New Year’s Eve is no different. Come December 31, there will be tons of celebrating happening all over the museum. With cool crafts, special performances, juggling, live animals, and more, it’s the perfect way for children to ring in the new year. Play and explore all day, but don’t miss the confetti-filled ball drop at noon, complete with a special snack of juice and cookies. It’s also a chance for kids to say goodbye to the KidWorks climbing structures that will soon be replaced in 2019.

Day of Family Bowling at Bowlero

If you’re looking for a little friendly competition, purchase a family bowling package at Bowlero. With two hours of unlimited bowling, champagne for the adults and cider for the kids, knocking down pins is the perfect way to spend a day together—not to mention, it’s both active and affordable. Try to stay out of the gutter and enjoy some quality time together both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (packages are available for both).

Skate Late at Pandora Ice Rink
While it’s not on the early side, older kids and parents alike will love to have a late skate at the Inner Harbor rink, which is open until 12:30 a.m. Aside from the skating fun at the gorgeous ice rink, the totally amazing view of the downtown fireworks display is a site to be seen and a pretty good reason to rent some skates (even if you hug the wall the entire time). If you’ve yet to practice your crossovers at the Inner Harbor, the NYE late skate is the perfect opportunity.

Read Your Way Into 2019 at Baltimore County Public Libraries
On New Year’s Eve, little bookworms can visit any one of the Baltimore County Public Library locations to ring in the new year at noon. Count down with some friends and check out some great titles. Because, really, what better way is there to head into a new year than with a whole bag of new books, aka, new adventures?

Forty-eight local canines are no longer just loyal pets—they’re teachers’ assistants, too.

Karma Dogs, a local nonprofit, helps rescue dogs become trained therapy animals in children’s literacy, life skills, and humane education programs throughout the region, everywhere from Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital in Towson to the Baltimore County Public Library in Pikesville.

At various venues, the nonprofit hosts H.E.A.R.T.S. (Help Encourage All Readers To Succeed), sessions in which dogs provide moral support to children with reading difficulties. The nonprofit’s president, Kelly Gould, says dogs are the best audience because they “just give positive feedback.”

Karma Dogs started after Gould and her husband, Andrew, adopted two dogs—Dirk, a hound-chow mix rescued from Hurricane Katrina, and Ernie, a blind puppy. Because of his disability, Ernie needed extra help navigating the world, and Dirk stepped in.

Watching the dogs together made the Goulds wonder if that same helpful spirit could be applied with humans. So in the summer of 2006, they co-founded Karma Dogs with Bridget Strama, a special education teacher and Kelly’s childhood friend. All dogs enrolled in the program must pass obedience and temperament tests.

Though the bar is high to join, the payoff is worth it, says Kelly. “We’re teaching kids that dogs can help them, that dogs can be their friends.”