how to start a tool library

If you cant hire a professional, find someone in the community who hasexperience dealing with the press. However, variables including the design of the physical library space and the type of programming offered could also account for that lowered score. You might be surprised what you come up with. Have a Business Plan. It also provides introductions to some of the people who helped launch the tool lending movement. In Seattle, Homicki notes that the ability to borrow equipment helped at least one urban farmer get her start. A tool library has you covered. > Where can you place a Little Free Library? As you share news of the campaign,ask how theyd like to support theproject. Promoting it can be exhausting. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); *Required field. The people in the community want the tool library to succeed, says Homicki, both because it offers a valuable serviceand also because they were part of co-creating an amazing community resource.. Librarian is another tool to mange your libraries. Tool libraries, which have been around since at least the 1970s, offer communities a way to share resources that would otherwise spend the vast majority of the time sitting in drawers and garages. How to Start a Tool Library In Your Community, Building Thriving Communities: Making a Shift toward Relational and Restorative Care, Coming to Our Animal Senses: A Conversation with David Abram. Residents of the working-class neighborhood needed access to tools such as hammers, drills, levels and ladders for home improvements but lacked the capital to purchase them. Continue using social media, newsletter, email, signage, meetings, word-of-mouth and other forms of communication to elicit support. Why are feminist perspectives, analyses, and actions vital to degrowth? crafts, science & engineering, design, and technology. I just go and grab one when I need it, Kane says. 1. So check out at new art exhibit for free. New Dream Webinars - Excellent video presentations hosted by Center for a New American with practitioners teaching exciting topics like How to Start a Tool Library and Community Solar 101. For the University Heights Tool Library crowdfunding campaign, the St. Joseph Neighborhood Housing Initiative pledged to match donations up to $2,500. Inventory & Operations 3. If your library is connected to a parent organization (non-profit, business, etc.) The University Heights Tool Library operates under the University Heights Collaborative (UHC), which is an umbrella organization for area block clubs and organizations. Spring It Onworked well in University Heights as a local crowdfunding platform. It really wasnt enough to tell them that they were paying our electric bill for the month, explain Krolikowski and Cotton. Header image byTodd Quackenbush on Unsplash, Cat Johnson is a content strategist and teacher helping community builders create strong brands. NOTE: Images in this archived article have been removed. David Lang, something of a reluctant maker, is on a journey, intensively immersing himself in maker culture and learning as many DIY skills as he can, in part through a generous arrangement with our pals at TechShop. The post adds a lot of firepower to the why? question about Lending Libraries. You can do this. Tool libraries tend to grow quickly so its a good idea to establish best practices up front.. Insight and inspiration in turbulent times. How much money will you need? For some strange but very understandable reason, those concerns alone have been more than enough to effectively end many community tool libraries before they even start. The options to import or create a library will . Why Are Archaeologists Unable to Find Evidence for a Ruling Class of the Indus Civilization? By hosting local Incubators, weve actually been able to address those inquiries and efficiently share our knowledge in small, personal sessions with anyone in driving distance. Library services manager Sarah Dentan calls the fruit picker one of the most unusual tools that can be checked out of the California library. Tool libraries that use the MyTurn platform can keep a credit card on file and charge patrons if tools are damaged or take deposits for larger, more expensive tools. Honestly, we get more tools than we know what to do with (ok, we know what to do with them we sell the excess to buy more of what we need, or we donate them to other local tool libraries). Gareth. Reintegrating humans into their ecosystems (so they are directly dependent on them and understand that dependence and thus actively steward them) is what will be required to help humans shift from their predominantly invasive form to a naturalized and even beneficial one. As more communities consider establishing tool libraries, these five tips can help ensure the operations are successful. Actively using resources that have a benefit to the entire community is an important value to me. In a 2014 survey, NPTL members cited saving money, improving my neighborhood, avoided tool storage and maintenance, and environmental benefits, respectively, as the most important aspects of the tool library. Michael Froehlich, for example, felt compelled to establish a National Tool Library Google Group a couple years ago, just after founding The West Philly Tool Library. With the recent increase in TLLs, the question arises as to the effect of these operations, what contributes to their success or lack of and whether they truly elicit community . Get a Library 3. And on Twitter! Elvira Mustafina. While they differ in specific features and goals, both of these systems allow you to manage members, inventory, loans, etc. Membership fees? Subject Databases. Follow@CatJohnson on Twitter. Considering all the obvious benefits that tool libraries offer, from encouraging neighborhood development to serving as a great foundation for the sharing economy, its rather a shame that there isnt one in every neighborhood. Kickstarteris perhaps the most well-known,RocketHubprovides education and tools for running a campaign and marketing your business,StartSomeGoodandRazooarefocused on nonprofits,iobyis a neighborhood-focused crowdfunding site. To Counter AI Risk, We Must Develop an Integrated Intelligence. You can also look to area businesses that may be willing to support the crowdfunding campaign through donations of money, publicity, products, or services. Similarly, tool libraries make it easier for home-owners with limited resources to maintain their homes, which helps to provide for housing security. Make aplan for your crowdfunding campaign. I love being a part of something larger than just myself. 6 . She completed her MA in journalism at the University of Missouri and has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Belmont University. Donations spiked on the days the interviews ran. Share a cool tool or product with the community. PsycInfo - Created by the American Psychological Association, the primary database for scholarly material in psychology. There is a lot of economic development happening because of the tool lending library, said Dentan. Check online to see if your community has a localtool lending library, and if not,consider starting your own. Dont hit publish then sit back and wait for donations to come inmake sure that as many people as possible know about the campaign. Most also levy late fees for borrowers who keep their tools longer than the pre-determined rental periods. In some cases, they will offer extensions if you need a little more time although, like book libraries, tool libraries may charge late fees for overdue items. To Counter AI Risk, We Must Develop an Integrated Intelligence, 1 person doing social media and connecting via Facebook, Twitter and the Indiegogo page, 10 people available for flyering, hanging posters, event organizing, keeping track of stats, 6 tool library board members to answer questions about memberships. Mention some of the tools you have that you might be willing to lend, and ask what they might have. Deconstructing buildings amplifies the marketplace for used goods, helps create new jobs, and limits new materials production. The starter kitincluding liability and membership forms, tool use policies, sample work plans, budgets, letters of support, and fiscal sponsor agreementswill hopefully allow all of these organizations to overcome the burdens and worries of moving their concepts on to the next stage. These areoften stillthebest ways to mobilize support, especially for a local community resource. Borrowers must have library cards to check out tools and library software tracks which tools are borrowed most often and which ones have waiting lists. Check out Shareable's. Farmers might need bigger equipment or more specialized tools.. Part of what our tool specialists do is determine if what borrowers are looking for is what they really need.. Having a successful model to emulate has helped us to procure a space to use, has given us an example to reference when people are unsure of what were attempting to do, and hopefully will help us attain funding for our project.. A growing number of communities operate their own tool lending library to allow residents to borrow tools free of charge because building a fence requires a lot of tools, and purchasing a brand-new post-hole digger, post pounder, measuring wheel, plumb bob and drill can be cost-prohibitive, and even renting can get expensive. Indiegogo has aCrowdfunding Field Guide, Kickstarter has aCreator Handbookandother crowdfunding sitesoffer resources and help with the areas you may beuncomfortable with, such as making the video. We are a network of local government professionals across the United States and Canada dedicated to creating a healthier environment, economic prosperity, and increased social equity to share best practices and accelerate the application of good ideas. Donors want to know how their money will be spent. Some of these are essential for the basic functionalities of our websites. > How can you spread the word and build support? accessible by all ages and skill ranges. Because of the potential for broad community support, crowdfunding is increasing in popularity as a way to finance or expand tool libraries. Be prepared for challenging situations to arise during the campaign. The librarians in Safety Harbor maintain detailed records of which tools are borrowed most often and which ones have waiting lists. It reduces the time necessary in dealing with potentially complicated details by providing documents like Sample Lease Agreements and Sample Delinquency Letters, available for customization. ; Articles/Webinars: Shareable.net: 16 Tips to Crowdfund a Tool Library In Your Town Christian Science Monitor: Need a Drill? With that in mind, The West Seattle Tool Library set about creating a tool library starter kit. Some traditional book libraries like the one in Hillsboro, OR, are now carrying other items like toys, kitchen gadgets and home and garden tools that that public can check out. In addition to the aforementioned items, the Asheville Tool Library also has a guitar and a PA system, And more things that people might want to use but might not want to own, she says. Lending libraries are popping up throughout North America, offering members no-cost or low-cost access to home and garden tools, kitchen tools, books, toys and games, sewing equipment, and other material goods that, for a variety of reasons, may not be practical for a household to buy and maintain. How to Create a Pop-Up Library. Here are the kinds of tools you can expect from each category.For carpentry, you might find the following: The most frequently borrowed tool at the Asheville Tool library is a lawn mower, says treasurer Steph Kane in fact, shes borrowed a mower herself many times. Like the common plantain. Get a Bank Account and Insurance. A number of libraries also have provided their member agreements and liability waivers online, so you have a starting point for creating your own. Perhaps you own a snow blower they'd like to use in heavy snows, while you'd like to borrow their extra-long . Resources to start a tool library in your community Cat Johnson | September 12, 2012 Tool libraries, which have been around since at least the 1970s, offer communities a way to share resources that would otherwise spend the vast majority of the time sitting in drawers and garages. Make sure you know what youre getting into when it comes to shipping a lot of packages, and make sure you have enough people to help if your crowdfunding campaign is a runaway success. Denver Tool Library volunteers put up shelves in the new space. New Dream's video on the Berkeley Tool Lending Library: Take a tour of an established tool library. Between 2013 and 2015 the number of tool lending libraries in the United States grew from about 40 to more than 60. ", How Libraries of Things build resilience, fight climate change, and bring communities together, The Library of Things: 8 Spaces Changing How We Think About Stuff, 16 Tips to Crowdfund a Tool Library In Your Town, : How to Start a Tool Library in Your Community. 1 Rent a building to turn into your own full-functioning library. Resilience is a program of Post Carbon Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the world transition away from fossil fuels and build sustainable, resilient communities. Theres one more step to take beyond explaining how the money will be spent. Strangely enough, these libraries happen to be some of the youngest. How to start a tool library. May 14, 2023. A business plan forces you to crunch numbers, focus your vision, clearly lay out details, and decide how youll legally structure your tool library. Krolikowski and Cotton explain that last year, their 24 hour crowdfunding campaign throughSpring It On, a United Way-sponsored regional crowdfunding event, raised $3,000 toward continuing community projects, including the renovation of a community space, graffiti removal, and planting trees. Small-scale tool sharing. Youll likely find that tool libraries are more cost-efficient, and theyre also an opportunity to connect with and learn from people in your community. When getting the word out about yourcrowdfunding campaign, use all available resourcesincluding social media, email, newsletters, flyers, posters, your website, blog posts on partners websites, word-of-mouth, video, and events. Finding people to work on the video also proved challenging. Community repaireventsare a social and enjoyable way to shift mindsets toward repair and extend theusefullifeofproducts. curated by us, the people behind Make: and the Maker Faire. Lending libraries that are part of the local public library system, such as the Berkeley Tool Library or Hillsboro, Oregons Library of Things, are more likely to have demographic representation similar to their book library usership, suggesting that the expansion of inventory past books in traditional public libraries could help to reach a wider range of users. A donation that gets doubled through matching funds. Here are some additional resources to help you start a tool library: This article was originally published in 2012 and was updated in 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20170711094701/http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-to-start-a-tool-library-in-your-community, How to Start a Tool Library in Your Community, How to Start a Tool Library in Your Community webinar, "How to start a tool library in your community", https://www.appropedia.org/w/index.php?title=How_to_start_a_tool_library_in_your_community&oldid=668520, Want to learn more about starting a tool library? Kitchn is a source of inspiration for a happier, healthier life in your kitchen. It is strongly recommended that if you will be loaning out tools, you take some basic precautions to protect yourself. Turns out, there is, but not for me because I live in San Francisco. Residents of the working-class neighborhood needed access to tools such as hammers, drills, levels and ladders for home improvements but lacked the capital to purchase them. Homicki believes the events provided an effective, no-cost option to maintain tools. EcoFarmingDaily.com is the worlds most useful farming, ranching and growing website. Local TV, newspapers, radio, and blogs are good places to start. As the sharing economy continues to blossom, however, more communities are overcoming that inherent fear and establishing lending libraries to embrace the beautiful benefits of sharing with neighbors. in collaboration with Shareable.net, put out a Guide to Sharing, which includes a 10-Step guide to starting a Tool Lending Libary. Insurance & Legal Cultivate Coop Library - From starting up to good group process, this site contains your free, complete guide to cooperatives. If youre a first-time DIYer, or if youre doing a very specific DIY for the first time, or if youre low on space in your home and would rather not store large or even small equipment, and/or if you dont want to buy a tool youll likely only use once, consider using a tool library. Download our free starter kit, see what you are getting yourself into, and contact us if you're raring to go. Topics such as The fees at tool libraries will still be lower than fees levied at home improvement stores. dylanboyce, we found that a lot of people were less willing (scared even) to loan person to person, but are willing to donate tools, time and skills to a more formal library so they can be available for other people to use. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In keeping with its efforts to "change social norms around consumption and consumerism," New Dream hosted a free webinar on "How to Start a Tool Library in Your Community." Two-thirds of respondents cited that, if it were not for the tool library, they would have purchased a new tool for some projects, which demonstrates the power of providing access as an alternative to ownership. Table of Contents Swap Shop Repair Event Zero Waste Day Homicki sees more and more tool libraries successfully completing crowdfunding campaigns. Why not share if its something you really only use a few times a year? Much like a regular library, you can also check out books from tool libraries: Patios and Walkways 1-2-3, or The Complete Manual of Woodworking might both be helpful for anyone building a deck, for example. Or maybe youre concerned about the liability of loaning tools out that people can cut their fingers off with? The setup makes it feel like a separate operation with the full backing of library resources. For help, reach out toestablished tool librariesand see Shareables guide,How to Start a Tool Library In Your Community. Our websites use cookies to improve your browsing experience. A space? Explore the impact of objects libraries worldwide. While waiting in line, Ill often chat with other lenders, as well as the volunteer staff. If the campaign is to expand anexisting tool library, howwill youexpand? Urban Sustainability Directors Networks suite of Innovation Products. Youll need an account for your funds to go into and its best to have insurance in place before the first tool is loaned. Reintegrating humans into their ecosystems (so they are directly dependent on them and understand that dependence and thus actively steward them) is what will be required to help humans shift from their predominantly invasive form to a naturalized and even beneficial one. Start by reaching out to other community members as well as surrounding neighborhoods and localities for donations of tools, time, and effort, Rhodes says. Dont slow down in the middlerun hard and finish strong. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); *Required field. The sense of community that the tool library brings is very meaningful, Hay says of her local library. Insight and inspiration in turbulent times. Magazine, Shareable, Triple Pundit and Lifehacker. Co-Founder of OpenROV, a community of DIY ocean explorers and makers of low-cost underwater robots. The University Heights Tool Library in Buffalo received in-kind donations of lawn and garden equipment from Troy-Bilt and the Toronto Tool Library has received tools through partnerships with Home Depot, Mountain Equipment Co-op and Canadian Tire. ), clunky book library software, or rental management software. By Cat Johnson, originally published by Shareable. Here, Hay, along with representatives from The Tool Library in Buffalo, New York, and the Asheville Tool Library in Asheville, North Carolina, explain the ins and outs of tool libraries plus how you can start one in your own neck of the woods. Tool Lending Libraries Tool libraries offer no- or low-cost access to home and garden tools and more, reducing cost-related barriers to home improvements and encouraging community sharing. They allow a community to access the tools they need, without needing to purchase and store the equipment. Build Community Support How to How does a Little Free Library work? Cookies help us deliver our services. And you dont have to stick to local help. People-powered solutions for the common good, Home Economy Collaborative Consumption Resources to start a tool library in your community. Being authentic will draw people to your project. Both Trump and Johnson are notorious narcissists, and I am wondering what it is about our current politics that means that the qualities of narcissism are so rewarded by the electorate. Businesses, universities and municipalities have warehouses full of stuff, Homicki explains. And then theres also just the benefit that we maintain the tools, so people dont have to do that, especially for gas engine tools. Gardening tools in general tend to be the most popular, Kane adds, and drills are also frequently borrowed. Media coverage can give your campaigna boost. Given the ubiquitous nature of this animistic intuition among the diverse indigenous peoples of this planet given its commonality among so many exceedingly diverse and divergent cultures it would seem that this is our birthright as humans. Resilience is a program of the nonprofit organization, Building Thriving Communities: Making a Shift toward Relational and Restorative Care, Coming to Our Animal Senses: A Conversation with David Abram. The more specific youget, the better. Although most tool lending libraries do not rent tools the concept is based on borrowing items some do charge fees in the form of annual membership dues or late fees. In some cases, the campaign may collect membership fees from future tool library members; in others, there are enticing giveaways. When MyTurn ran the data on rentals, Homicki was surprised to learn that one tool library loaned out its table saw more than 250 times to 180 different patrons; the average loan period was just under one week. Thanks to people like Mr. Homicki, starting and operating a Tool Lending Library is easier than ever. Keep in mind how amazing it will be once you meet (or surpass) your goal and can create a new tool library or make improvements to your existing one. When the West Seattle Tool Library launched in 2010, organizers partnered with a popular local garden center to offer 10 percent off coupons to residents who donated tools. I think all communities should have tool libraries.. This is a great resource for starting a new tool lending library. To Counter AI Risk, We Must Develop an Integrated Intelligence. 1. Through Google groups, starter kits, and incubator workshops, new tool libraries now have the ability to overcome their inherent concerns by learning from the experiences of many who have come before them. Built and managed by the team at Acres U.S.A., the Voice of Eco-Agriculture, all our how-to information is written by research authors, livestock professionals and world-renowned growers. If only there was an easy way to borrow a tool. Given the ubiquitous nature of this animistic intuition among the diverse indigenous peoples of this planet given its commonality among so many exceedingly diverse and divergent cultures it would seem that this is our birthright as humans. Or maybe you're concerned about the liability of loaning tools out that people can cut their fingers off with? He felt that his circumstance was not uncommon and wanted to find a way to support the needs of his friends, neighbors, and outside community members, operations manager Lissa Rhodes explains. With Librarian, you can set custom icons for libraries and add removable drives and network folders to your libraries. Get support from family and friends and dont be shy about telling them ways they can help with the campaign. Around the world people just like you have been inspired to bring lending libraries to their communities. Crowdfunding is emerging as a powerful way to start or expanda tool library. The University Heights Tool Library is open to everyone in Buffalo, but most of its members come from the surrounding neighborhoods, and its funders tended to be local too. Of the 70-plus tool libraries that myTurn works with, the most successful are those that have engaged the community. When people see that youre wild about your idea and that youve got your shit together, they will say Go get em girl! and maybe give you a buck or two.. In the CAM Tool Library dialog box, right-click either the Local or Cloud library tabs to the left of the window. You'll need an account for your funds to go into and it's best to have insurance in place before the first tool is loaned. When communities are invested in the library, there is very little loss; some patrons even return tools in better shape than when they borrowed them, said Homicki. The whole idea is collaborative consumption which has many different applications, but a tool . Hear Froehlich, Hatch, McElligott, and Yurgelevic share wisdom and stories about how they got their tool libraries off the ground, and answer questions about how you can launch one in your own town! 4. sustainability. turn a closet in her house into a kids craft station, The Ultimate First Time Homeowner's Guide. Baking pans A webinar by the Center for a New American Dream: http://www.newdream.orgIn August 2012, New Dream hosted a webinar about how to start a tool library in your. When we explained that we were building a resource that could benefit the environment and reduce consumption by providing affordable access to tools and equipment, people wanted to help.. Be sure that neighborsthe ones who will get the most use out of the tool libraryknow about the crowdfunding campaign.

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