More than just access to tools. The tool library movement is reinventing itself and growing in the process. No longer just places to get a drill when you need one, tool libraries are neighborhood hubs offering classes, community building spaces, workshops and a variety of tools ranging from belt sanders to lawnmowers and more. Homicki says this transformation from tool library to community space is one that often goes both ways.
A movement that is mostly independent of public libraries. He points out that in the U.S. there are about 15,000 public library locations, so we’re a long way from having as many tool library locations as libraries, but Homicki thinks that at least 1,000 tool libraries in the next five years in the U.S. is possible.
But there are a few public libraries in the U.S. that lend tools.
The Berkeley Public Library's Tool Lending Library, one of the oldest, has been around since 1979.
Other public libraries that lend tools:
- Alameda (CA) Free Library
- Oakland (CA) Public Library
- Grosse Point (MI) Public Library
- Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, Vermont
Related post
California: The epicenter of tool-lending libraries. 11/28/2010)
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