Link to November 17 San Francisco Chronicle article, "Berkeley Tool-Lending Library inspires others".
Excerpt: The 31-year-old Berkeley Public Library institution - the oldest continuously running library of its kind in the nation - is more popular than ever and has helped turn the Bay Area into arguably the tool-lending capital of the nation.
Most states don't have a tool-lending library within their borders. The Bay Area has five, not including several local libraries that lend out specialized energy-related or earthquake-retrofit tools.
The Temescal Tool Lending Library in Oakland is another thriving offshoot of the public library, which, like Berkeley, has served as a national model for other startups.
Santa Rosa has a tool library run by community members. The San Francisco Clean City Coalition is in the process of moving its popular Tool Lending Center, and the Marin Open Garden Project is in the early stages of building its library of garden tools.
Tool lending is a great fit for the Bay Area, for reasons beyond the region's quickness to embrace progressive values. Many local do-it-yourselfers want to improve their residences and yards, but don't have the money or storage space to buy the tools. The lines that often go out the door are only getting longer as the economy struggles.
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