Neighbours for climate
The Gazette is using the City of Edmonton’s Neighbouring for Climate guide to help St. Albert streets fight back against climate change. Check out the guide at edmonton.ca/climateneighbours.
I don’t have space for drills or table saws in my apartment, nor do I have the skills to use them. So whenever I need something fixed, I take it down to my parent’s garage to tap into their library of tools and expertise.
Blenders, snowblowers, and other household appliances cost money and resources to create, straining budgets and creating heat-trapping pollution. Some, like my dad’s table saw, see hardly any use.
Tool libraries are one way to cut these costs. By sharing tools and skills, neighbourhoods can save money, reduce pollution, and be better prepared for climate emergencies.
Levels of libraries
Tool libraries can be simple and informal, like the arrangement I have with my family.
You can start something similar on your street, the Neighbouring for Climate guide notes. Talk with your neighbours to find out who has tools they’re willing to lend out (or pitch in and buy some collectively), then lend them out, tracking who has what with a list. This can help in an emergency — if a blizzard knocks out power on your street, it helps to know who has portable heaters, generators, and snowblowers.
The Edmonton Tool Library opened in 2017 after one of its founders was frustrated by the cost to rent tools for home renovations, said treasurer Michaela Stang. It now has hundreds of items available to borrow, including belt sanders, car jacks, and at least one scythe. Members pay an annual fee and borrow tools as needed.
“We see a lot of happy faces come in and out the door,” she said, with many eager to chat about what they plan to do with their tools.
Stang said tool libraries help fight the waste and duplication our consumer-driven society creates.
“There are so many things that last and can be shared,” she said, and in sharing them, we can save on money and space.
The Banff Public Library started its Library of Things in 2021 in response to community demand, said director Sarah McCormack. Many of the town’s residents were transient and didn’t have space in their homes for tools and sports equipment. The Library of Things now has about 200 items, including Instant Pots, mitre saws, and bubble machines. McCormack herself has used the library’s staple gun to reupholster a couch.
“It’s many and varied,” McCormack said of the inventory, and changes based on popularity and community requests.
Tool libraries can help people build community and share skills. McCormack said one recent patron of the Banff library said he learned to sew using one of the library’s sewing machines and passed that skill onto a friend, helping them fix hundreds of dollars’ worth of clothing. The library has also hosted workshops on how to fix cars or grow your own food using items from its collection.
Opening day
Tool libraries can be challenging to run, and might not fit every community.
St. Albert had a tool library several years ago, but it shuttered due to a lack of volunteers and costs, said its founder (who asked not to be named in this article).
St. Albert Public Library hosted fix-it cafés for the old tool library, but declined to take it over when asked due to a lack of space, said community engagement manager Stephanie Foremsky.
“We would struggle to house the tools and that would be the biggest barrier,” she said in an email.
The Edmonton Tool Library partnered with the Belleview Community League to store its stuff, Stang said. Still, space is limited, and volunteers constantly have to weed out underused tools from the collection.
“It is increasingly becoming a game of Tetris to fit everything in.”
Stang and McCormack said grants helped cover the costs of their libraries, as did membership fees (in Edmonton’s case).
Stang said the Edmonton library’s biggest challenge has been finding volunteers. Most members have full time jobs, and it takes a lot of work to maintain the collection.
“People do want to help,” she said, and if you actively search and are up front about what the job involves, you can find volunteers.
If you want to start a tool library, McCormack said to start with a survey to find out what items your community needs. She suggested drill bits and sewing machines as a start.
One of the toughest parts of a tool library is simply keeping track of all the items, McCormack said. Partner with the library if you can, as libraries have the necessary lending/borrowing experience.
They might not be the easiest things to set up, but if you want to save money and resources, a local tool library might be just the fix for your next project.
