Can I borrow from either Mt Evelyn or Montrose?
Yes! We operate as one toy library with two locations. Toys can be borrowed and/or returned to either branch. You can also do your nominated volunteering at either branch.
How do I renew my loans?
Log into your SETLS account (details in your member welcome email) to see what toys you have borrowed, their due dates and to renew any toys you need to. Toys can be renewed a maximum of once for an extra 4 weeks.
Do you take donations?
Sometimes! We love donations and love to extend the playable lives of toys whenever we can. Much of our collection has been built from generous donations from our community. However, we always have to consider our storage situation, acquisition policy, insurance requirements, suitability for the toy library, and whether we already have too many of a particular type of toy. Generally speaking, we only take donations of high-quality, good/excellent condition, non-licensed (no Mickey Mouse or Disney items etc) toys that meet Australian standards (no home-made toys). If you have toys you would like to offer us, the best option is to send us a picture of what you have so the committee can determine whether we can accept your donation or not. Please do not bring toys to the toy library for donation until they have been approved by the committee as we hate to turn people away and dumped toys will have to be disposed of if we can’t take them into our collection. If we are unable to accept a donation of toys, we recommend trying your local Buy Nothing group to see if a local family can take them. Broken and damaged toys can often be recycled through BigW’s toy recycling program.
What happens if my toys are overdue?
Toys are borrowed for a period of 3 weeks and can be renewed for a further 2 weeks through your SETLS account. If toys are overdue, you may receive a call or email from us asking you to return the toys. If something has come up and you’re unable to return the toys yourself during opening hours, we can often make arrangements for a committee member to pick them up from you. Our first priority will always be finding a way to get the toys returned and we will work with you to achieve this. Toys that are severely overdue and have not been returned despite repeated attempts to contact you, may be invoiced for their replacement value. In some cases, your member accounts will be locked and you will not be able to borrow toys if you have overdue toys that have not been returned. If you have lost or broken a toy please just let us know – we are all human and we will work with you to find a reasonable solution.
What should I do if a toy I’ve borrowed has a broken or missing pieces?
While we make our best effort to ensure that toys are complete, broken and missing pieces do happen. We strongly encourage all members to count all their toys before they leave the toy library to ensure that there aren’t broken or missing pieces in a toy you are taking home. If you discover a toy you want to borrow has a broken or missing piece please just alert whoever is on duty for that session and they will mark it down in SETLS and put a missing pieces sticker on it before you take it home. Toys that are returned with broken or missing pieces that weren’t previously noted may be put onto your account as having been lost or broken at your house. Please count your pieces before borrow!
What happens if my child loses or breaks a piece of a toy we’ve borrowed?
Missing pieces happen! And regular wear and tear is expected and sometimes results in broken pieces! At the end of the day, our priority is getting the pieces back, not “punishing” members for life’s little happenings.
Each member gets 5 “free” missing pieces on their account before we start charging $5 per piece. Return the pieces, and these will be removed from your account and no further fees will be charged until you hit 5 missing pieces again. We don’t refund fees that have already been charged, so the best thing is to return pieces as soon as they are found. All of our pieces have the toy number marked or engraved on them so they should be easy to distinguish from your own toys at home.
If a toy has broken and it’s from normal wear and tear, there is no consequence to you. Things happen and we don’t expect toys to last forever. However, if you’ve been negligent with a toy, such as leaving it out in the rain, or letting your dog chew on it, we may ask that you replace the toy at the replacement value, or donate a similar or equivalent toy to replace it. This is determined on a case-by-case basis and we always try to come to a resolution that works for both the toy library community and you as a member.
What do I do if a toy I’ve borrowed is dirty?
Clean it please! Unlike a public, government-run library, we aren’t a service that is provided FOR the community – we are provided BY the community. This means that as members, we are all responsible for helping keep the toy collection clean, safe and complete. We ask that all members clean their toys before they are returned so we can all enjoy a clean toy collection. However, if a dirty toy slips through, please clean it yourself rather than returning it and making it a different volunteer’s problem!
Why aren’t their batteries in the toy I borrowed?
Toy library toys are generally loaned out WITHOUT batteries. Members are welcome to use their own batteries for a toy while on loan, but we ask that batteries are removed before the toy is returned. This is because toys sometimes go long periods of time between loans and batteries can leak and corrode in the meantime, making them unsafe for borrowing. Sometimes, a member has forgotten to remove batteries so they remain in the toys. Most of our sessions are run by volunteers, and it’s not reasonable for us to check every toy for battery removal at each borrow/return. If you notice that a toy either has batteries or needs new batteries, please use your own or remove them before returning the toy.
What should I do if a toy needs new batteries?
Toy library toys are generally loaned out WITHOUT batteries. Members are welcome to use their own batteries for a toy while on loan, but we ask that batteries are removed before the toy is returned. This is because toys sometimes go long periods of time between loans and batteries can leak and corrode in the meantime, making them unsafe for borrowing. Sometimes, a member has forgotten to remove batteries so they remain in the toys. Most of our sessions are run by volunteers, and it’s not reasonable for us to check every toy for battery removal at each borrow/return. If you notice that a toy either has batteries or needs new batteries, please use your own or remove them before returning the toy.
As a community toy library, we are all responsible for looking after the toys in the collection.
Cleaning
Safety
Missing pieces
Broken toys
Helmets
Batteries
We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners, the Wurundjeri People, as the custodians of this land where we live, play and learn.