You probably know that your local library offers not just books, but also DVDs, CDs, magazines, streaming movies, and ebooks. But it might also offer some more surprising physical items.

The best way to find out what’s on offer is to call them up—many library websites fail to list all their services up front. To give you some ideas, here are examples from libraries around the country.

  • Neckties: The “Tiebrary” at the Queens Library lends neckties, along with tying instructions and interview tips, to job seekers.
  • Art: Libraries in Iowa City and Ann Arbor lend wall art for weeks or months at a time.
  • Instruments: Ohio’s Licking County Library lends guitars, ukuleles, banjos, and mandolins. Ann Arbor offers all kinds of electronic instruments.
  • Musical scores: The NYPL for the Performing Arts lends out scores for opera, musical comedy, and classical and popular music, as well as instructional books.
  • Museum passes: Libraries in Chicago offer free museum passes for families with children. New York’s Monroe County offers discounts. The New York Library Association lets local systems buy museum pass programs to offer their patrons.
  • Seeds: The Toronto Seed Library “lends” out seeds: when a borrower’s plant matures, the library asks them to bring back a new generation of seeds.
  • 3D printing: The Toronto Public Library offers 3D printing for 10 cents a gram, and free classes in printing and design.
  • Puppets: The Puppet Museum at Brooklyn College moved out of the public library branch, but its 100 puppets are still available to anyone.
  • Telescopes: Through a partnership, at least 20 Maine libraries lend out telescopes and offer training.
  • Maps and ephemera: While most collections can’t be checked out, libraries frequently store maps, brochures, and other ephemera you can browse at a local branch.

See more (including some sadly now-closed collections) at Reddit, Book Riot, Mental Floss (list 1 and list 2), ProQuest, and the Penny Hoarder.