The Ann Arbor District is thinking outside of the box with a new collection called "Music Tools."
The small collection features quirky instruments and sound processors. It includes items with futuristic names that make sounds like hovering spaceships and funky clicks and clacks.
Think Bliptronic 5000, Thingamagoop, and Stylophone Beatbox.
There are also some more "traditional" instruments like a concertina and Boomwhackers--colorful plastic tubes that make-up the notes of a major scale.
Eli Neiburger is the Associate Director of IT & Production at the AADL. He says the idea behind the collection is to provide fun, creative options that provide value to the library's patrons. Neiburger also says the library is thinking about how to circulate different kinds of physical items, as digital books become more popular.
There are many libraries in the state that have unique collections of items to check out that aren't books. Some Michigan libraries have made puppets, fishing equipment, baking pans or tools available for checkout.
