All Amarillo Public Library branches will be closed on Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr Day.

Hours & Locations

Get a Library Card

Ask a Librarian

Translate
My Account

Library of Things Is Now Available

Published on

Email
Print

A Library of Things is a collection of objects to loan that differ from the traditional library offerings of books and media.  Items in a Library of Things often include kitchen appliances, tools, gardening equipment, electronics, toys and games, art and science equipment, musical instruments, and recreational equipment such as sports and outdoors gear.  Especially appropriate are objects that are useful occasionally but costly to purchase or cumbersome to store, such as specialized cookware or niche technology items.

APL Director of Library Services Amanda Barrera says the Library of Things movement is a growing trend in public, academic, and special libraries in many countries. “Libraries in the US that offer a Library of Things have found it to be a useful service that saves money and improves quality of life for their patrons. We are grateful to the Friends of the Library, the Library Advisory Board, Panhandle Gives donors, and City of Amarillo leadership for helping make the APL Library of Things a reality.”

Friends of the Amarillo Public Library made the APL Library of Things the focus of its 2025 participation in The Panhandle Gives, and all the funds raised through the Amarillo Area Foundation’s annual philanthropy campaign were dedicated to the creation of the new collection.

To access the Library of Things, patrons must be APL cardholders, at least 18 years old, with an account in good standing that has been registered for at least 90 days. Patrons will place items on hold, and they will be available to pick up the following day.

Barrera says the list of things that will eventually be part of the collection is extensive, but for now, APL is starting small. “The Library of Things will require a different set of procedures for check out and check in. Many items will have multiple pieces that have to be verified when an article leaves and when it is returned. Starting with just a few things will help us discover what kind of challenges this new service might present and make it a more positive experience for our cardholders.”

The initial collection will include:

  • OBD Code Reader (automotive diagnostic tool)
  • Jumper Cables
  • Knitting Machine
  • Plein Air Easel
  • Reel Lawn Mower
  • Lawn Aerator
  • Croquet Set
  • Golf Clubs
  • Food Vacuum Sealer
  • Cake Pan Set
  • Karaoke Machine
  • Ghost Hunting Kit
  • Otamatone
  • Picture Hanging Kit (stepstool, laser level, stud finder)
  • Sander
  • Tool Kit
  • Wrench Set
  • Xcel Power Meter
  • Radon Detector

For more information about the APL Library of Things, please contact Coordinator of PR and Programming Stacy Clopton.

Recent Posts

The Amarillo Public Library logo

Want to stay in the know?

Sign up for our newsletter!

SIGN UP

Select A Language to Translate This Page

About Translations on Amarillo.gov

The City of Amarillo offers translations of content on Amarillo.gov through the Google Translate web translator (translate.google.com). Because Google Translate is an external service, the City does not control the quality or accuracy of translated content. As a result, some translations may contain inaccuracies, and there may be issues with the appearance of translated pages, including errors in images.

If you encounter incorrect or substandard translations, you can help improve them by contributing better translations using Google Translate:

  1. Hover over any text containing an error, and a pop-up box will appear.
  2. Click “Contribute a better translation.”
  3. Double-click the area of the pop-up that says “Click a word for alternative translations, or double-click to edit directly.”
  4. Make your edits directly in the text box.
  5. Press “Contribute” to submit your suggested changes.

For more information on contributing to Google Translate, visit Google Translate’s help page.

Please note that the City of Amarillo does not control the process by which contributed translations are incorporated into Google Translate.

The City of Amarillo is dedicated to enhancing the accessibility and multilingual content available on our website.

City of Amarillo: Property Taxes Rebated Per Year by Agreement Type 

Overview 

The chart shows the dollar amounts of property taxes rebated per year over the last five fiscal years, broken down by agreement type. There were no Chapter 380 property tax rebates in the first two years listed. The total amount increased slightly each year, with a more significant increase in the most recent year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Chapter 311 

$533,080 

$547,426 

$574,947 

$591,249 

$821,350 

Chapter 380 

$0 

$0 

$37,387 

$39,172 

$61,013 

Presentation 

The bar chart shows the amount of property taxes rebated in the past five fiscal years, broken down by agreement type. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount rebated. For each fiscal year there is vertical column, comprised of two stacked columns, each of which representing the different agreement types. 

City of Amarillo: Number of Tax Abatements Granted Per Year 

Overview 

The chart shows the number of businesses that received a tax abatement from the City of Amarillo in the past five fiscal years. The 2020/21 and 2021/22 fiscal years each had four active abatements, 2022/23 had five, and 2023/24 and 2024/25 each had seven. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Active Abatements Per Year 

4 

4 

5 

7 

7 

Presentation 

The bar chart shows the number of businesses that received a tax abatement from the City of Amarillo in the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the number of active abatements each year. Each year has one column, with the height indicating number of active abatements in that year.

Amount of Taxes Abated Per Year 

Overview 

The chart shows the dollar amounts abated over the past five fiscal years from Chapter 312 tax abatement agreements. Each fiscal year shows a larger dollar amount abated, with minor growth over the first three years, a higher increase in the fourth year, and minor growth again in the fifth year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Taxes Abated by City of Amarillo 

$510,061 

$623,017 

$679,849 

$965,261 

$1,143,899 

Total Abated by All Entities Including City of Amarillo 

$1,569,512 

$1,926,332 

$2,103,099 

$2,884,936 

$2,959,496 

Presentation 

The bar chart represents the amount of taxes abated over the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount abated. The bar representing taxes abated by the City of Amarillo is sightly offset to the side of the bar representing the amount abated by all participating tax entities for each fiscal year. This shows that the amount abated by the City of Amarillo is a part of the total amount abated by all entities.

City of Amarillo: Taxes Rebated Per Year by Type 

Overview 

This chart shows the dollar amounts rebated by the City of Amarillo from economic development incentive agreements over the past five fiscal years. Each year is broken down by rebate type, including property tax rebates, hotel occupancy tax rebates, and sales tax rebates. Each fiscal year shows a slight increase in total dollars rebated, with a more drastic increase in the most recent fiscal year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Property Tax Rebates 

$533,080 

$547,426 

$612,334 

$630,421 

$882,363 

Hotel Occupancy Tax Rebates 

$686,747 

$753,112 

$794,828 

$871,423 

$808,348 

Sales Tax Rebates 

$0 

$21,046 

$55,528 

$45,881 

$368,716 

 

Presentation 

The bar chart represents the amount rebated by the City of Amarillo for each type of tax rebate over the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount rebated. The different rebate types are stacked vertically in each fiscal year, with the height representing the total dollar amount rebated.