Being completely honest with you, I don't know what this thing actually is. It could be the base to a tall rolling stool, with five casters on the bottom and a ring at the top that could be a footrest of some sort, or it could be some sort of rolling umbrella stand, or a retail display. The possibilities are endless! The only piece of identification on it is a faded sticker that says it came from the King County Library System. An interpretive bookshelf, perhaps? Who's to say.