Tool Libraries
As everybody knows, you need the right tool to do the job right. But what if that tool costs several thousand dollars and you only need it once? Enter the tool lending library!
At the Berkeley Tool Library, on a recent Monday morning, a curly-haired, bespectacled young man is returning a demolition hammer. He’s wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, with a worn leather bookbag slung over his shoulder. He tells me he used the tool to remove old concrete paving in his yard. According to library staff, tool lending follows a seasonal pattern. In December, ladders and extension cords are in high demand (think Xmas lights). In October rakes and leaf blowers top the list. In 2024 the most popular tools at the Berkeley Tool library were: weed wacker, 50’ extension cord, drill bits and pole saw.
The Berkeley Tool Library. Photo by Reuse Alliance.
This tool library is so well established, most people don’t know that it started out in a trailer in 1979, supported by funds from a Community Development Block Grant. By 1991 it had earned permanent indoor space in the library, and a dedicated line in library funding. Jill Tokutome, the supervising librarian, tells me they employ three full time tool lending specialists with backgrounds in trades, who maintain the collection, field questions and check out tools. You must be a Berkeley resident to borrow tools. There are long waiting lists for some items.
Unlike the Berkeley Tool Library, the Santa Rosa Tool Library is an independent, volunteer-run nonprofit serving Sonoma County residents. It was founded in 2008 by Dustin Zuckerman, who began lending tools out of a small one-bedroom carriage house in Santa Rosa, starting with about 15 personal tools and a simple printed list shared with neighbors. It grew quickly through word of mouth, trust, and community donations.
Martin Reed, its new Executive Director, first used the tool library himself a few years ago, borrowing an expensive electric hammer for an afternoon project. He was immediately hooked. For the past year Martin has been working alongside Dustin. His job now, as Director, will be to build on the foundation that Dustin laid and to oversee its reopening at coLab: 427 Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa on March 7.
The Santa Rosa Tool Library. Photo courtesy the Santa Rosa Tool Library.
The model is intentionally simple and it works! Loaning tools at no cost, they completed over 4,000 free tool loans to roughly 650 registered borrowers in 2024, helping hundreds of households in Sonoma County complete repairs, maintenance, and resilience projects they otherwise could not afford.
In addition to its new location and the name change to better reflect the area served, there will be a new website and new circulation software. The Santa Rosa Tool Library will continue to expand its tool inventory and Martin hopes to explore additional pickup and drop-off locations around the county so access stays local and convenient.
What tool do you need for your next DIY project? Is there a tool library near you? Check it out!
Resources for Tool Libraries and other rentals:
Find a Tool Library near you and more at the Tool Library Alliance website.
Many libraries now include a Library of Things. Try searching ‘library of things near me’ for resources in your area. Or start your own using Shareable’s Library of Things Toolkit.
You can rent lots of other things too - a carpet cleaner at your local Safeway, dishes at party rental places, moving boxes from companies like ZippGo, Juujbox and Stack even clothes from Rent the Runway.
Visit our Upcoming Events Page for details, to pre-register, or to volunteer.
On the Upcoming Events page you’ll find a full list of our upcoming Repair Fairs and other community events including details on location, how to pre-register and how to get involved. Click here to sign up to volunteer at an event.
Sat Mar 7 : Cloverdale Repair Fair : 1pm - 4pm : Cloverdale Library
Sat Mar 14 : San Geronimo Repair Fair + Clothing Swap : 10am - 1pm : San Geronimo Valley Community Center
Sat Mar 21 : Contra Costa County Repair Fair + Clothing Swap : 1pm - 4pm : Hercules Library
Sun Mar 29 : Cotati Repair Fair + Clothing Swap : 1pm - 4pm : The Cotati Room at Cotati City Hall
Join us at the Reuse Hub
We have a great line-up of workshops planned for the March and April plus look for some new products and resources coming soon!
We hope you’ll join us on March 22nd for our Spring Swap event!
Upcoming Workshops at the Reuse Hub (visit our workshops page for more details)
Basics of Mending and Patching : Sunday March 8th - 12:30 pm
Colander Lamps : Sunday March 15 - 1pm
Spring Swap : Sunday March 22 - 2pm
Resell School : Level up Your Online Shopping and Selling Skills : Friday March 27 - 4pm
Other Opportunities
Mar 2 : Grant applications due for Culture of Repair Projects Request for Grant Proposals
Mar 19-20 : Registration is now open for the free online Repair x Share Summit : Building a Care Economy Share.
Mar 25 : NCRA Recycling Update in San Francisco, CA.
May 7 : Registration is now live for the North Bay Zero Waste Symposium.
PIRG is making a Community Repair Event Database. Learn more at the info session.
Reuse Roundtables are back.
Reuse Practitioners are invited to join us for a post Repair X Share Summit conference debrief.
Details and RSVP here.
Did you know volunteering makes you live longer? Find out how yu can get involved by emailing volunteer@reusealliance.org
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