STOCKBRIDGE — At the Stockbridge Library, it's not unusual to borrow a book, an audiobook, a DVD or even a Chromebook laptop.

But kayaks?

Yes, if you’re a full- or part-time resident with a library card.

The library’s kayak rental program launched this week at the town beach on Stockbridge Bowl, where four kayaks are locked to a rack and can be checked out with a key from the library desk.

The program is the brainchild of Library Director Wendy Pearson.

Stockbridge Library Director Wendy Pearson, seen at the Stockbridge Bowl town beach on Thursday, has launched a kayak borrowing program for full- or part-time town residents with a library card.

"We believe it’s a first for Berkshire County,” she said of the library's new program.

“Libraries are doing so much more than just loaning books,” she explained during a beachfront conversation on a picture-perfect day.

“We try to meet the community in places where we see a need,” she said. “In this town, where nearly half the population is over 65, it’s not always easy to get a boat on a car.”

She “borrowed" the idea from the Shutesbury Public Library in Franklin County near Amherst, where she used to work. The library is near Lake Wyola and its state beach.

Pearson was appointed the head of the Stockbridge Library in 2020 and had the idea in mind as a post-pandemic enhancement of library services.

After Pearson secured approvals from Town Administrator Michael Canales and Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Katie Szwyd last year, a pilot program was tested successfully last August.

“What I really want people to know is how easy it is to come out and enjoy the lake on a boat for free,” said Pearson. “We at the library are looking to fill the needs of the community in whatever way that is.”

The Arcadian Shop provided two boats to the library at a discount, and the pilot program won enthusiastic support from the Stockbridge Bowl Association's Mahkeenac Heights representative Amy Sales. The association bought two more boats and a dedicated rack.

On any given day that the library is open, it’s first-come, first-served for the kayaks. However, residents can call ahead and make a reservation good for one hour to pick up the key to the padlock as well as paddles and the required flotation devices with a whistle for safety.

A waiver must be signed before heading out to the water, along with a statement that no drugs or alcohol can be consumed during the rental. The minimum age to get a key to borrow a boat is 18, but a child can ride in a tandem boat piloted by a parent or guardian.

“You check it out as if it were a book," said Pearson. After the resident’s library card is scanned, the key is provided to unlock the kayak at the town beach off Hawthorne Road.

Two singles and two tandems are available — “who knows, somebody could get engaged out there this summer,” Pearson said.

The key must be returned to the library by the end of the day following the rental, though a Saturday borrower has until Tuesday morning before it’s overdue — “it’s a deal, if you're cagey,” she acknowledged.

A “launch party” at the town beach is planned for June 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to show off the kayaks for people to try out, along with snacks, drinks and crafts for kids.

Pearson even envisions a floating book club — “people will go out in kayaks and we’d all paddle out somewhere together, anchor to each other and have book discussion on the water,” she suggested.

As a reminder, residents’ private boats cannot be launched from the town beach unless the owners won the lottery for the 48 kayak rack slips available for the full season.

“It’s very competitive,” Pearson acknowledged.