Funding For Mansfield Library Will Facilitate Toy Lending Library

MANSFIELD, CT — Toys for children and teens will be the latest addition to the materials that residents can borrow from the Mansfield Public Library starting in early fall.

Thanks to funding from the Friends of the Mansfield Library and the nonprofit organization, Traveling Toys Inc., library cardholders will soon be able to borrow toys that support developmental milestones in children. The toy selection includes STEM learning and imaginative play, as well as board games, engineering and circuitry sets, and video games geared toward teens.

Diana Caty and Mary Didiuk, co-founded Traveling Toys, Inc., for the purpose of establishing toy lending libraries within Connecticut public libraries. Their goal is to provide all
children and teens access to high quality, age-appropriate toys and games. Currently, Traveling Toys, Inc. has created nine toy lending libraries in Connecticut, and seven more will open this fall.

In each of the libraries, the resources can be borrowed for three weeks, or played with on-site. In 2023, the number of toys and games in circulation from the nine established Connecticut toy libraries was 22,000. Patrons can learn more about Traveling Toys at: https://www.travelingtoys.info...

"We have heard time and again from our library patrons how much they enjoy all of the nontraditional items they can borrow from the Library-- including tools, technology, cake pans, puzzles, and passes to
local museums and attractions," Mansfield Public Library Director Devon Andrews said. "We
see this new toy library as a crucial step in expanding our Library of Things and ensuring that the
Library continues to reflect the Mansfield community’s needs and interests. We are so grateful to the Friends of the Mansfield Library and Traveling Toys for helping us provide this exciting new resource."

Each organization supported this new program with a $2,500 donation. The Toy Library is expected to launch in mid-September and will include such popular items as Magnatiles, stacking toys, Duplos, Nintendo Switch games, Snap Circuits and more.

"The Friends of the Mansfield Library are excited to contribute to the support of the Toy Library
program, Friends board president Anne Greineder said. "We know it will be a great addition to the library's collection of non-traditional library materials to borrow. We love that our library continues to grow in ways that contribute to a great sense of community spirit in our town."