The OrigamiUSA Lending Library is a service for OrigamiUSA members that loans books of origami diagrams through U.S. Mail. Members in the USA can borrow from the Lending Library without leaving their home.
- The Lending Library listing displays items in the collection.
- Use the request form on this page to request up to three books. Payment is accepted at the time of the request.
- Submitting the request form automatically e-mails your request to the Lending Library and sends you an email confirmation of your request.
- Requests and payment by U.S. Mail are also possible, see "How can I borrow..." below.
- When your payment is received the books will be mailed to you within a week.
- Shipment is via US Postal Service Media Mail. Estimated shipping time = 7 days, so it could take up to 2 weeks for you to receive your books (or longer, for Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico).
- The mailed package includes a due date, pre-addressed return address envelope, and prepaid return postage.
The Lending Library uses a fixed fee structure to cover shipping and incidental expenses:
- 1 item: $ 10.00
- 2 items: $ 15.00
- 3 items: $ 20.00
These charges cover costs of postage, packing materials, return postage, and delivery tracking and confirmation. All items are mailed via USPS Media mail.
The Lending Library Service is available to OrigamiUSA members in the USA. OrigamiUSA Membership must be current a minimum of 60 days past the due date of borrowed items. For information about membership in OrigamiUSA, click here.
The Lending Library ships books via US Mail, and includes return postage as part of the delivery charge. Mailing outside of the USA is prohibitively expensive and involves customs inspection in both directions.
Your OrigamiUSA membership benefits include use of the Lending Library. To use the online request form, you will need to register for a website account and use that to log into the website.
The collection consists primarily of out-of-print, English language books of origami diagrams. The collection also includes a number of books in other languages, including Japanese, Spanish, and Italian. It also includes a complete run of the newsletter publlished by the Friends of the Origami Center of America newsletter and the magazine it became: The Paper, published by OrigamiUSA, as well as a complete run of FOCA and OrigamiUSA annual convention programs (titled Annual Collection and The Origami Collection, depending on the year).
The link to view the Lending Library collection on the main Lending Library page provides detailed information on available items.
The OrigamiUSA Lending Library site lists specific publications available for loan. However, it does not index the contents of those items or provide a reference service to identify models/diagrams. Instead, where possible, the collection list links to Dennis Walker's Origami Database, or to scanned images of a book's table of contents and cover. You can use the Origami Database to search for information on diagrams by name, designer, or publication. Links to the Origami Database are used with permission. OrigamiUSA is not responsible for the accuracy of information in the Origami Database.
The loan period for Lending Library books is four weeks. There are no renewals.
You can borrow from the collection using US mail. A list of available items and a Lending Library Request Form will be mailed to you on request.
You can contact the Home Office via email at admin [at] origamiusa.org or call 212-769-5635. You can also write to us at:
OrigamiUSA
15 W. 77th St.
New York, NY 10024
Please email us at lending-library [at] origamiusa.org or write us a letter at:
OrigamiUSA
15 W. 77th St.
New York, NY 10024