Vienna`s First Library of Things

Vienna, Austria

About the city. The city government actively supports various initiatives within the project Smart City.

Goal

The main aim of the project is to protect the environment, save money and try something new. “It is way more efficient when basic commodities are shared than if everyone buys, stores and disposes of them separately. This also gives you the possibility to try different instruments or use machines and items you only need in a certain moment – for example, a drilling machine – or time of your life, e.g. accessories for children”.

The ultimate goal is to support many more sharing shops all over Austria and beyond to be founded so that sharing goods get a step closer to being the norm instead of being the rare exception.

Implementation period. The “library” was opened in May 2013. The main stages of development are indicated in the timeline.

Fact

In the year 2050, it is likely that over nine billion people will live on our planet. For each person, there are a dozen items of use. Thus, consumerism is rapidly growing.

Solutions

leila.wien offers many reusable goods. They are collected out of private stocks and are made available for lending to the members of leila.wien in exchange for a yearly fee. The vision is to connect people, establish a community and convey the joy of a sustainable lifestyle.

How does it work?

1. The user needs to register on the site.
2. The site has a catalogue of available items: from diving masks to table tennis. The user can book the product by specifying the period of use.

The fee is per day of use and usually does not exceed 1 Euro per day.

Challenges

Problem. How large and diverse is the catalogue?

Solution. Like any other similar project, funds are received from outside — from people who are not indifferent. The site has a special form for those who would like to become part of the project. Moreover, there is a list of items that are not in the store, but they are very necessary (gardening equipment, a camera, and so on).

Team

Initially, the initiative is a student one. Crowdfunding project. Supported by the local government as part of the Smart City project.

*It is not fully clear whether there is government funding, information support is available

Timeline

2013 – the idea occurred

2014, May – leila.wien opened

2018, June – more than 200 investors were attracted

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