'Little Library on the Lake' turns shipping container into sports equipment lending service

LORAIN — The shipping container at Lakeview Park is not a mistake — it's the latest collaboration with the Lorain Library, Lorain County Metro Parks and the city. The "Little Library on the Lake" is a 20-foot cargo container refurbished by the Rustbelt Welding Co. to have a sliding door, wood floor, paneling and skylights. Inside is a library of games and sports equipment, rather than books. "We want to offer things that people can use right there at the park that encourage fun, fitness and learning," Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz, CEO of Lorain Public Library System, said in a news release. All items are available to check out for free using your LPLS library card. Those items include soccer balls, tennis equipment, volleyballs, yoga mats, horseshoes and bird-watching and stargazing kits. The bird-watching and stargazing kits are lent for up to seven days, while the other items are single-day loans due back before the library closes. The "little" library will also have free WiFi for a range of 100 to 150 yards. It joins Cleveland's BookBox as the second shipping container-based lending library in Northeast Ohio. The BookBox is at the Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Park on Lake Erie. "This is a great addition to the Lakeview Park experience," Jim Ziemnik, Lorain County Metro Parks director, said in a news release. "These items will allow people to get outside and have some fun while still social distancing and staying safe." Little Library on the Lake will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Aug. 30 and will reopen again when the beach opens in spring. A grand-opening date is in the works. The container was delivered to the beach Monday. It will be moved to its final resting spot — near the boardwalk on the East Beach — early Wednesday.