Many branches of these public institutions are dying from lack of funding - and reinventing themselves in surprising new ways Beyond the Book Mobile Today's libraries aren't just trying to fulfill what a March study by the Pew Charitable Trusts calls the institutions" "shadow mandate" of bridging the widening gaps in social services that used to be provided by non-profits and public agencies. Libraries are also trying to meet people where they are. The cash-strapped Free Library of Philadelphia, a stalwart system founded in 1891, has set up six "Hot Spots" to expand its reach in underserved areas. It's much cheaper to open these freestanding mini-libraries, which are equipped with computers, printers, and a reference collection, inside facilities owned by community organizations than it is to open a new branch. In a similar move, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has opened what it calls a "library without walls" in the Pittsburgh Public Market in an effort to deliver library services on the weekends in a place where a lot of people do their food-shopping. Some libraries are even venturing outdoors. In response to recent branch closures in Detroit, the University of Michigan this spring partnered with students at a local elementary school to set up six outdoor libraries, whose waterproof bookcases, unlike book mobiles, don't come with expensive gas bills. Next: E-Books, Yes, But Also Cake Pans, Toys and Other Non-Traditional Offerings E-Books, Yes, But Also Cake Pans, Toys and Other Non-Traditional Offerings According to the ALA's 2012 State of America's Libraries report, more than two-thirds of the 9,000 or so libraries in the U.S. are lending out e-books. But as libraries try to expand their digital offerings - publishers are particularly wary of these institutions eating into e-book sales of new titles - many libraries have started lending offbeat, non-digital items too. A number of libraries now circulate cake pans, including the P.D. Brown Memorial Library in Waldorf, Maryland, and several branches of Iowa public libraries. The Lopez Island Library in Washington lends musical instruments, and Ohio's Cuyahoga County Public Library has a toy-lending collection to promote active learning for children. Many of these unconventional items have been donated to their respective libraries by local community members. In Cicero, N.Y., LibraryFarm has turned a half-acre of land owned by the Northern Onondaga Public Library into a community garden, where anyone can "check out" a plot of land for free or work on a shared plot. With its mission to promote food literacy LibraryFarm also offers classes on composting, pest control, and recipes utilizing food from the garden. Next: From Dewey Decimal to Hacklabs and 3-D Printers