Welcome to RTL... we hope you find lots of ways to play, explore, laugh and pretend with us. Our toy library coordinators are here to help with toy selections... so have fun!
Borrowing
Members can borrow toys for 3 weeks (or exchange within this period). The number of toys depend on your membership type.
Our toys are sorted into categories of interest and have approximate age recommendations on each bag to help guide you in your toy selections. Feel free to go outside your child's age group as all children are different. One of the wonderful advantages of using our toy library is if your toy choices are not popular at home, you can come in and swap them for something else.
Membership Fees
We are a non-profit organisation. Your annual membership fees are used to fund the co-ordinators' salaries, meet the library's on-going running costs and purchase new toys. Membership fees are due annually in the month that the member joined.
Safety
Please ensure you borrow appropriate toys for your child's stage of development and use them in a safe manner. Some toys have warnings about small pieces, laces, etc. All children need to be under your supervision when at the toy library.
Returning Toys
Please check you return the correct number and type of pieces for the borrowed toy – and that you are returning RTL pieces and not those from your own toy box. It's a good idea to check the items in the bag (including any notes added) when you first borrow it to ensure you are not searching for missing items.
Cleaning Toys
We ask that all toys be thoroughly cleaned and dried before being returned. Here are a few cleaning tips:
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Clean toys with warm soapy water or 2-in-1 cleaner/disinfectant.
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Do not immerse toys if water can get into them (especially baby rattles) as we often can't get the water out
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Use a cotton bud or old toothbrush for nooks and crannies
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Do not use a dishwasher as some toys can melt.
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Every effort is taken to keep toys as clean as possible, however we do recommend that before toys are given to children 12 months and under, that you clean them again yourself – for your own piece of mind.
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More cleaning tips here.
Lost or Damaged Toys
We understand sometimes pieces just get lost. Lost pieces incur a minimum fine of $2 per piece – which is refunded if you find the piece later. We ask for a donation towards replacement or repair of the toy if it is no longer functional.
Overdue Toys
Overdue fines are 50c per toy, per week.
Communication
Please ensure we have your correct email address to be included in important RTL notifications. Please also follow our Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter accounts for our latest events, tips and information.
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We respect your time and keep communications to a minimum.
Holidays
RTL closes during public holidays, and also 2-3 weeks over the Christmas holidays.
RTL Committee
Our toy library is run by a volunteer committee of RTL members. We are always looking for new committee members to continue the work of those parents who move on from the toy library after their children reach school age.
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The committee meets once a month at 8pm (online). We encourage members to attend and share ideas. No skills are necessary – just enthusiasm. Please consider joining the committee to keep this great community service operational.
Fundraising
Membership is our main source of income. However this is not enough to cover all of our running costs and toy purchases. We also rely on grants and fundraising and welcome any help our members can offer in this area.
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If you work for a company offering grants or become aware of any grants we may be eligible for, please consider nominating RTL as a recipient or advise RTL so we can apply. We also welcome your participation with skills or goods that may be suitable to donate (for raffle items at events or direct use at the library).
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We also ask for help at our fundraising events and this can be a great way to meet other members. We're all parents and know how hard it can be to fit in all of our competing demands so we keep our requests to a minimum.
Get involved
There are many other ways you can help at RTL regularly or occasionally: cleaning toys, repairing toys, helping at opening sessions, helping at the stocktake, IT skills, communication skills, offereing your skills or interests in the upkeep of the library. We are always interested in new toy ideas and suggestsions of how to increase our membership numbers and income. All ideas are welcome! Please email your ideas to info@rtl.org.au