Material Reuse Forum 12: Library of Things (April 7th, 2026)
The "Library of Things" (a collection of non-traditional, non-book items available for loan, such as tools, kitchen gadgets, and games) is a growing business in the country. In addition to local public libraries hosting libraries of things, non-profit organizations, municipalities, and community groups have also spearheaded innovative community-based lending platforms. Watch this forum to learn about how they are organized and maintained, as well as some of the challenges that can arise.
Meet our Speakers:
Lisa McKenney, Executive Director, Allegany County Library System
Lisa McKenney is the Executive Director of the Allegany County Library System. With over thirty years working at all levels of the organization, Lisa is just as excited now about the opportunities to improve our communities through libraries as she was when she started. Lisa has a Master of Education degree from Frostburg State University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Drexel University.
Gene W. Homicki, Co-Founder and CEO, myTurn.com, pbc
Gene Homicki is co-founder and CEO of myTurn.com, pbc, a public benefit corporation providing digital infrastructure for product reuse, lending, rental, and circular asset management. He co-founded the West Seattle Tool Library before building myTurn into a platform used by community reuse programs, public libraries, universities, municipalities, healthcare providers, enterprises, and power utilities across 23 countries. His work focuses on what it takes to move reuse from pilot programs to durable, measurable systems at scale.
Jenn Kim, Co-Director, Station North Too Library
Jenn Kim is one of two co-directors at the Station North Tool Library, a nonprofit tool-lending library and community hub whose mission is to make tools and skills accessible to Baltimore City residents through sliding-scale memberships and classes in woodworking, home care, crafts, and more. Jenn believes in the importance of a sharing economy and is extremely proud to work for an organization that is both people-centered—prioritizing equity across all of its programming—and people-powered, with over 120 regular volunteers and teachers who support day-to-day operations, allowing the Library to be approximately 70% financially self-sufficient.
In addition to facilitating the Library’s ongoing programs and services, Jenn is working to expand its repair program through Fix-It Fairs and repair clinics across the city in partnership with Baltimore City’s Department of Public Works. At the core of this work is the belief that the more we share, the more we have—and that people are our greatest resource.
Megan Mansfield-Pryor, Environmental Specialist, Maine DEP
Megan Mansfield-Pryor is Environmental Specialist at Maine DEP where she supervises product stewardship programs, provides data analysis and reporting on waste management, promotes sustainable materials management, and facilitates the Maine Deconstruction Network. Previously, she served as a Waste Management Climate Policy Advisor, staffing the Materials Management Task Force of the Maine Climate Council and supporting integration of waste reduction strategies into Maine Won’t Wait 2024. Megan served on the Northeast Recycling Council board for six years and holds a master’s in policy, planning, and management and a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning and policy from the University of Southern Maine.
