Berkeley Tool Lending Library Tool List
Macabeo Eastman
1. Only residents or property owners of the city of Berkeley over the age of 18 are eligible to borrow tools from the Tool Lending Library (TLL). No more than 10 items may be borrowed at any one time.
2. Borrowers must register with the TLL prior to borrowing tools. Registration will be complete upon verification of the borrower's Berkeley address, or property ownership if the borrower resides outside of Berkeley. Verification is accomplished by presenting the following:
3. All tools and equipment lent by the TLL are the property of the Berkeley Public Library. Only the borrower is authorized to use the tools. The borrower shall not permit the use of said tools by any other person except by the express permission of the TLL.
6. Before borrowing any tool or piece of equipment, the borrower shall sign a form of WAIVER AND INDEMNIFICATION to be provided by the Library, which will be kept on file at the TLL. The borrower acknowledges that he or she is capable of using the tool in a safe and proper manner, and that instruction in the proper use of tools is available from TLL staff.
7. Tools have a loan period of 7 days. The Library charges a replacement fee for lost or damaged tools. Accounts with billed Tool Lending items are blocked from further borrowing of any type of library material. The borrower agrees to return any borrowed item on or before the due date in the same condition, normal wear and tear excepted, as when it was borrowed. The borrower agrees to pay for the loss of or damage to any tool on loan to him or her. Repeated failure to return tools on time may result in revocation of borrowing privileges. The Library reserves the right to limit the number of tools borrowed and to alter the maximum loan period.
8. Tools without a waiting list can be renewed once through the online catalog or by calling the Tool Library during open hours.The Library reserves the right to refuse or limit renewals. Up to 2 consecutive renewals may be made, dependent upon the reserve status of the item.
10. When tools are not returned by the designated due date, the TLL will issue an overdue notice. If the tools are not returned after the notice has been sent, appropriate steps will be taken to retrieve them, including by collection agency and/or legal action.
11. The Tool Lending Library retains the right to refuse the loan of any item for failure to comply with any of the above rules and regulations, or for falsification of any information.
The tool library was established in 1979, thanks to funding from a federal grant. It was first run out of a portable trailer that stocked about 500 different tools. Borrowing from the humble collection was free to those of low or moderate income, and cost between 50 cents to $3.00 for all others.
The library is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Berkeley residents or property owners over the age of 18 who are able to show a recent utility bill/some other proof of residence are allowed to borrow tools. You can borrow a maximum of 10 items at once.
Tool libraries seem like such a great idea. Can you think of any way in which the model for the Tool Library in Berkeley can be generalised to be exported elsewhere? Is there any advice you would give to people trying to start a tool library elsewhere?
So the circumstances which allowed the tool library to get going under a Federal grant and which saw it being integrated into the Public Library, combined with the demand from Berkeley citizens, are really what have helped to ensure its stability and allowed it to flourish?
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.
After traditional libraries that loan books, home and garden tool libraries are the most commonly identified type of lending libraries. While formalized tool libraries have been growing in North America since the late 1970s, informal tool lending libraries have likely existed in communities predating their formal counterparts. Between 2013 and 2015 the number of tool lending libraries in the United States grew from about 40 to more than 60. Tool libraries often offer classes and workshops and are sometimes coupled with communal workshop spaces or makerspaces. 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. Likewise, other shared spaces like sewing stations, shared kitchens, hackerspaces, and technology labs offer tools and places to complete do-it-yourself projects of all types.
Shared ownership of tools may lead to an absolute reduction in the amount of tools purchased and eventually entering the waste stream. Tool libraries providing garden tools may also help to reduce some of the consumption problems related to food systems, as they allow urban gardeners to grow food locally thereby reducing food packaging production and potentially replacing empty calories with nutrient-rich foods. Similarly, tool libraries make it easier for home-owners with limited resources to maintain their homes, which helps to provide for housing security. Additionally, tool libraries may serve as a gateway to other types of borrowing and sharing opportunities and initiatives such as kitchen tool shares, skill shares, and toy shares among other sharing activities.
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Think tools: A Berkeley resident can use their Berkeley library card to check out an air quality monitor, electric fryer, ice cream maker, Instant Pot, lawn mower, leaf blower, orchard ladder, soldering iron, Sous Vide Precision Cooker, table saw and countless additional home repair and cooking tools.
Innovative programs such as Teen Taco Tuesdays and Chai Before School reach out to engage Berkeley High School students. Sketching groups, fruit tree pruning demonstrations and additional events show the library is not confined within its four walls. Thousands of patrons currently attend library events and programs (see the list at ).
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While working on building a standing desk in my room, the cheap, electric drill I was using totally gave out on me. I was building the desk out of large pieces of reclaimed wood, the drill was a critical part of the equation, and hauling the entire project to TechShop made no sense. If only there was an easy way to borrow a tool. Turns out, there is, but not for me because I live in San Francisco. If I lived across the Bay in Berkeley or Oakland, I could swing by the local Tool Lending Library and get what I needed.
Insurance & Legal
It is strongly recommended that if you will be loaning out tools, you take some basic precautions to protect yourself. There are insurance companies (including Philidephia) that will provide general liability insurance to tool libraries and workshops for about $600 to $700 per year. If your library is connected to a parent organization (non-profit, business, etc.) then you can also talk with your existing insurance agency about adding a rider or amendment for your tool library operations.
While there can be risks to starting a tool library, and work in running it, the reward of building a community where everyone has affordable access to the tools and skills to fix, maintain and make things is incredibly rewarding.
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Tool libraries are found in urban centers of communities or in center areas of communities that make it accessible for citizens to access either by foot, bus or car. Universities, libraries, churches, volunteer organizations or other 501(c)(3) non-profits are the types of organizations that offer these services to communities. One of the oldest tool libraries is in Berkeley, Calif. and has been active since 1973. As an example, it has approximately 5,000 tools of all kinds and for all types of projects available to community members with library cards. Residents of the Berkeley community check out tools, such as mowers, saws or hand tools just like they would if they were borrowing a book.
Localtools.org and toollibrarian.org are web-based applications to help set-up tool libraries. The former web-resource identifies tool libraries across the United States, Canada, and even the United Kingdom. The names, locations, and contact information for these community resources are provided for free. If you have recently established a tool library or plan to in the future localtools.org allows you to upload your information so it too can be accessed in the future.
Given that tool libraries are community driven initiatives designed to really benefit communities there are a number of resources available to citizens around the world interested in starting one of these. A number of organizations and do-it-yourself platforms offer advice and guidelines to getting started. Sharestarter.org, another web-based resource, offers a downloadable manual to get efforts started. The manual discusses structure of a lending library, budgets and financing, staffing, location, Inventory, outreach, marketing, social media, insurance and legal issues.
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