People are familiar with how a book library works: You view and select from a collection of books and borrow one or two for a certain amount of time.
That’s exactly how the Minnesota Toy Library works, but with toys instead of books. It’s part of an effort to make access to toys more environmentally friendly, something that many parents can appreciate after the holiday season.
“If you go to Target and you buy a new toy, there’s a lot of packaging that’s wasteful and can’t be recycled,” said Rebecca Nutter, executive director of the Minnesota Toy Library.
The toy library has a new location at Progressive Baptist Church in the Battle Creek area of St. Paul, in addition to locations in Northeast and South Minneapolis.
Emily Banker and her daughter Ari, 5, are frequent visitors to the St. Paul location.
“We come as often as we can,” Banker said. “I love that you are reducing waste because kids can go through toys so quickly and I don’t feel like it’s a waste this way.”
Ari has recently been a big fan of a bald eagle puppet and baby dolls.
“The last time, I got a baby doll and bottle,” Ari said. “It kind of matches the other dolls I have. It fits in.”
They have checked out dozens of toys including a puzzle that glows and a pink Aurora princess dress that Ari “wore out,” her mother said.
Patrons can keep the items as long as they want. And when an item gets worn out, it is removed from the library.
“I think people are surprised at how really nice the toys are and how really clean they are,” Banker said.
There is a cleaning protocol that keeps the toys in great shape.
Mom concept
Librarian Kari Carlson at the Minnesota Toy Library, located at Progressive Baptist Church on Burns Avenue in St. Paul, on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
The library concept started in 2014 by Nutter and three local moms after they wanted a better, more environmentally friendly way of providing toys. The St. Paul library has been open since August.
“When we go and buy new, we’re saying to the toy companies to keep making toys using plastic materials,” Nutter said.
The toy library encourages families to borrow toys rather than buying them, so they won’t have to deal with packaging or other materials that come with a new toy. Most of the toy library’s inventory comes from donations from the community.
“Instead of donating to a thrift store where the pieces might get lost, we take care of it, and we make sure it’s well put together and safe for kids,” Nutter said.
There are over 430 toy libraries across the United States, Nutter said. The first one started in Los Angeles during the Great Depression, where the community saw a need for toy access after kids whose families didn’t have much money were stealing toys.
About 525 families utilize the Minnesota Toy Library, with most having children under the age of 5. Grandparents and nannies also use the toy libraries, according to Nutter.
Members pay a yearly fee for access to the libraries, where they can scan the toys that they’re checking out. The borrowing period is two to four weeks. To maintain accessibility, there are no late fees. If a toy or a part goes missing, members can either replace the toy or bring in a donation.
“We handle it differently for each time it happens. If one singular Duplo block goes missing, it doesn’t affect the playability of the toys,” Nutter said. “We’re very flexible, and we just want to be accessible as much as we can and not have those things hinder them.”
Encourages play time
Stella Hobbs smiles as she goes for a ride on a toy train, as her dad Kevin Hobbs watches, at the Minnesota Toy Library, located at Progressive Baptist Church on Burns Avenue in St. Paul, on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
The Minnesota Toy Library is funded by memberships, grants and fundraisers.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency awarded the library a grant for organizations working on waste reduction and reuse, and that grant helped expand to St. Paul, Nutter said.
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She said that 41% of residents around the St. Paul location reported income of less than 200% of the federal poverty level and about 68% are people of color.
“Environmental justice means that all people — regardless of their race, color, national origin or income — benefit from equal levels of environmental protection, that pollution does not disproportionately impact any group of people, and that everybody has opportunities to participate in decisions that may affect their environment or health,” she said.
Not only does the toy library provide the community with an environmentally friendly way to access toys, but it also encourages play time in a world dominated by screens.
“The time families spend playing with their kids is kind of dwindling, so it’s important for us to be there to say ‘play is important,’” Nutter said. “I hope that us being prominent in the community can keep those screens out.”
Minnesota Toy Library-St. Paul
Where: The St. Paul location is at Progressive Baptist Church, 1505 Burns Ave.
Hours: Open 5 to 8 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. the first and third Sundays.
Cost: Sliding-scale annual membership fee ranges from $40 to $100 per family.
Donations: The library welcomes donations of toys for children up to 5 years old.
More information: mplstoylibrary.org
Kristi Miller contributed to this report.
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