Sometimes you don’t need a huge JavaScript library like jQuery or Prototype. Sometimes all you need is a small subset, like AJAX functions and templating. If a project doesn’t need all 31kb worth of jQuery, why don’t you try something a bit lighter?

Microjs.com is a directory of “micro-libraries,” single-purpose JavaScript libraries with a small footprint. You can load up one or two for only a fraction of the file size of a larger framework. Need to make AJAX requests? Try microajax. Templating? Use Tempo.

Sure, we all love our favorite monolithic frameworks, and sometimes we even use them fully. But how often do we reach for the ride-on John Deere tractor with air conditioning and six-speaker sound system, when a judiciously applied pocketknife would do the trick better, faster, slicker?