Locals Look to (Literally) Build Community With 'Tool Library'
community members hope to create new resource to share tools and project space
Are you handy but don't have a place for tools or projects? Do you not know the difference between a band saw or a skill saw, but want to replace your baseboards? A group of locals, led by woodworker Michael Richter, is spearheading an effort to start the Tool Library, a communal place for tools, projects, and education.
"Our primary mission is to provide access to tools, space, and education so people can finish projects on their own," Richter said. Richter himself is a woodworker with a goal of getting into the share-economy. Tool libraries already exist in other cities, such as the Twin Cities, which serves as inspiration for the effort.
The planning meeting for this project will focus on a few key goals, chief among them to build a group of volunteers interested in managing the effort. "We hope to find a group of volunteers that can help operate the space, maintain the inventory, and educate on safe and effective use of the tools," Richter said.
The proposed Tool Library will provide an area for tools to be stored; centralized location where community members can have shared access to otherwise large, expensive, or complicated machinery, as well as smaller tools that can be loaned out for short times. It will also be a way to provide mentorship and education on how to use a variety of tools to complete projects there or on your own.
Skills needed for the project include experience in volunteer registration, database management, fundraising, non-profit management, and knowledge in tool usage. Those interested in volunteering for the proposed Tool Library, helping direct its focus, or donating tools, should attend the planning meeting on April 5 from 3-5pm in the Riverview Room at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire.
Interested in helping create the Tool Library? Get together with other like-minded folks L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library on April 5 from 3-5pm. Keep up with the organizing group on Facebook or reach out at ECToolLibrary@gmail.com.
