WHAT IS A TOOL LIBRARY?
Think of a tool library like a book library…except for tools (and often, other really useful things)! Tool libraries, or Libraries of Things, are built on a sharing model that recognizes the importance of having access to resources but believes we don’t necessarily need to individually own all the things we use. With tool libraries, you just borrow it when you need it and return it when you’re done.
If you think about it, how many people actually need to have a circular saw or cider press every day?
A few, sure, but not most of us.
An Economic and Environmental Win!
Tool libraries also address economic and environmental issues. Tools are expensive and having a place to store them doesn’t come cheap either. Tool libraries make it possible for more people to have access to these items even if they can’t afford to buy them on their own. This brings us to the second point: the environmental cost. Tools, like most of our consumer goods, require a lot of resources to produce and that production process creates emissions and other waste that harm the planet. The more things we share, the fewer resources required and less pollution created!
How They Work
Most libraries run on a membership model. Many have sliding scale rates to join and then offer free or very cheap rentals for individual tools. Many tool libraries also offer tool training, classes on various skills and repairs, as well as fixer meet-ups. Sometimes they’re housed within another larger organization and have paid staff; sometimes they’re run by volunteers out of someone’s garage – and everything in between.
Pictures From Our Amazing Tool Libraries
Get to Know Washington's Tool Libraries
A program of Sequim’s only re-purpose, recycle, up-cycle, non-profit store; Around Again’s Tool Library allows members to check out tools for free – all with the goal of preventing waste. “The more used stuff that gets another life, the less new stuff has to be made. That means less new materials are used, less carbon ends up in our atmosphere, and less good, usable stuff ends up in landfill.”
Around Again has been the leading supplier of used building products and home furnishing materials in Sequim since 2009.
Just like a normal library, the Ballard Tool Library is a public service that provides community access to tools and an exchange of knowledge, at little to no cost. We use a very loose definition of “tool,” therefore our members can expect to find the usual drills, saws, etc. as well as sewing machines, juicers, canopies, lawn aerators, and many other dealy-bobs and whatchamacallits! We aim to build a collection that represents Ballard artists, craftspeople, gardeners, mariners, and putterers. Are you looking for a specific dealy-bob or whatchamacallit? Let us know and we’ll try to get it!
The Clallam Growers’ Collective is a network of farmers and gardeners—and the volunteers who support them. With help from friends at Northwest Harvest, they’ve assembled a sizable library of hand tools like shovels, hoes, hori-horis, gloves, rakes, water coolers, etc. Now any local grower can reserve the things they need to host work parties and school groups. While tool requests from farmers are the service priority, community requests may be accommodated as availability allows.
The Fall City Community Tool Library is a service of the Fall City Community Association (FCCA) as a service to provide the use of shared tools to community members at minimal cost. FCCA membership is open to anyone who lives or works within the boundaries of the greater Fall City area.
FCCA membership is a prerequisite for Library membership.
The Jefferson Community Foundation Event Supply Lending Library provides a variety of items for other organizations to check out for use at their special events such as tablecloths, coffee percolators, and sandwich boards!
The Jefferson County Public Library’s Weird Odd and Wonderful (WOW!) Collection offers a variety of items including tools, toys, puzzles, games, STEAM kits, and even sports equipment!
Located within the Floral Park Sustainability Project site, the MRC Tool Bucket Library is just one of many projects hosted by the WSU Master Recycler Composters of Lewis County. The MRC Tool Bucket Library provides free or low-cost access to shared tools and other durable goods and encourages self-reliance, re-use, repair, and reduced consumption. Memberships and tool rentals are offered on a sliding-scale but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Future plans include a Maker-Space which will provide space for learning how to use household tools, and enable members to use large tools that are not portable and require advance knowledge or supervision to operate.
If you have questions; want to volunteer, become a member, or donate tools – call us at (360) 520-3206 or email mrctoolbucketlibrary@gmail.com
Use our collection of over 200 unique tools. Instead of buying brand new tools, share ours and save money for projects. All of our tools are available when you need them – you no longer have to store and maintain your own. We offer our Tool Library in conjunction with our Repair Cafes, Recycling and Materials Reuse Programs.
Take it or Leave it Program
Why waste something that’s perfectly good just because you no longer need or want it? We keep usable materials in circulation through our Take it or Leave it program. Building supplies, small housewares, and more are kept from the landfill when their owners no longer want them. Many community members want to move materials off their property or out of their garage but are loathe to send them to the landfill. Others delight in finding unexpected treasures like light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, doors, and lumber.
The Mount Vernon Public Library Commons hosts a burgeoning Library of Things including a variety of items for exploring the outdoors, making jewelry and buttons, instruments, games, sports equipment, gardening tools, and more!
Search the library catalog using keywords “Library of Things” for a complete list of available items. Anyone 18+ with a valid MVLC library card and ID may check these items out. Most check out for two weeks.
The Mountaineers Gear Library is a community resource that makes getting outside more sustainable and more accessible. Members borrow gear for a variety of reasons: because gear is expensive, because they are trying something new, or because they have a child who is growing. We invite you to join our gear lending community to make your outdoor exploration dreams a reality!
Individuals, families, nonprofits, schools, and organized groups can borrow gear for the following activities: Hiking, Car camping, Backpacking, Snowshoeing, Cross-country skiing
The Gear Library has a wide variety of gear to support your hiking, backpacking, car camping, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing adventures. We offer outdoor gear and clothing, ranging from a youth size 8 through adult XXXL.
The Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) is home to the oldest known tool library in Washington. The Tool Library is a community-based program providing a valuable service with the help of its wonderful volunteers. Tools are available for check-out to PNA members (memberships are open to everyone on a sliding-scale basis) and Items can be checked out for one week at a time for a nominal fee, with the potential for renewal, depending on demand. The PNA also runs home clinics including making storm windows and insulating, and a community wood shop is in the works! A related project, the PNA Village is aimed at helping seniors age in place, with fixers doing everything from gardening to home repairs
Port Townsend Public Library’s Unusual Items Collection boasts hiking and camping gear, games, cooking equipment, sewing machines, projectors (and screens!), maps, musical instruments, tools, craft / maker kits, and more!
The Seattle Farm Co-op is a community-based project supplying urban farmers in the Seattle area.
Our focus is on obtaining supplies such as animal feed, fertilizers, mulch, seeds, etc., from local & sustainable sources as much as possible, and saving money through co-operative purchasing. We are also promoting the ideas & values of sustainable living. We hope to collaborate with organizations such as “Seattle Tilth” and support the growth of urban agriculture by providing a place for tool & resource sharing, educational classes, community information, and more.
In development…
With locations in Auburn and Federal Way, the South King Tool Library (SKTL), began supporting and coordinating repair events in 2018 and officially opened our one-of-a-kind building for curbside checkout in June 2020. SKTL provides equal access to tools and training in order to help maintain neighborhoods, build community and reduce unnecessary consumption. The key principles of our organization are Sharing, Training and Empowerment. We share tools and information, offer training and education, to empower our community to make a positive impact in their lives. We provide instruction on proper tool use, offer classes on a variety of topics, we work with community partners to distribute educational and informative materials, and we host repair cafes to foster repair over replacement. Our partnerships are critical in bringing our community together, building equity and accessibility, as we work together to build better lives in South King and North Pierce Counties. Anyone 18 or over can become a member of SKTL. You don’t even need to live in South King County. South King Tool Libraries are the ONLY tool lending option serving King County south of Seattle. That makes us very convenient for lots of people in the Puget Sound area. If you’re one of them, join us!
The Southeast Seattle Tool Library provides access to a wide variety of tools, training, and a basic workshop space. We aim to inspire and equip our neighbors to participate in both personal and community projects.
At Spokane Public Library’s Library of Things, you can try new things without the financial commitment. Play the guitar, set up a badminton net, go birdwatching, or take our Discover Pass on a hike. Check out almost anything! Items available for check out include outdoor equipment, musical instruments, gardening tools and seeds, telescopes, and other miscellaneous items.
The Tacoma Tool Library improves quality of life in the South Sound by providing tools, education, space, and support to cultivate self-sufficiency while reducing waste.
We provide low cost access to shared tools and other durable goods, and encourages re-use, repair, and reduced consumption. In addition, the library is a safe community space for learning how to use household tools, and empowers local residents to care for their homes and neighborhoods, house by house and block by block.
Members can borrow any of our 2,000+ available tools—everything from hammer drills to hand weeders—for a week with no charge. Use the tools, clean them, and return them to the library when you’re done. That’s it!
The UCD Farm Tool Library is designed to provide conservation-oriented tools, such as a wheel plow, broadfork, and no-till drill, to farmers and gardeners. Members can view pictures of the tools in the inventory, check availability, and reserve tools online. The library will initially have open hours for tool pick-up and drop-off on Fridays from 12 to 2pm.
Viable, working lands are essential to maintaining the rural character of Klickitat and Skamania Counties. UCD supports agricultural operations and small farms by serving farmers and livestock owners with technical assistance, soil sampling, livestock Best Management Practice financial assistance via cost-share, educational resources, and the new Farm Tool Library.
The Care Closet is a project of Vashon Care Network whose mission is to provide support to Islanders through coordination and distribution of physical resources and networking with community services and individuals. Through the Care Closet, community members can reserve durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches, hospital beds, shower chairs, and more, all for free.
The Vashon Events Musical Instrument Library provides access to a wide range of musical instruments for Vashon Island residents of all ages. Woodwinds, string instruments, horns, percussion, microphones, amplifiers, PA’s, speakers, mixing boards, and more are available. There is no charge or membership. Choose the instrument you would like to try out, check its availability, and reserve it for no-contact pickup online. Typical length of time is three months, and band students may borrow instruments for the school year. Vashon Events is a nonprofit 501c3 organization powered by the generous donations of islanders to create, provide, and expand positive life experiences for all through music and art.
Vashon Island Growers Association has served the agricultural community on Vashon for over 30 years most notably by hosting the Vashon Farmers Market. Among many other programs, VIGA hosts a Growers Resource library at the Village Green as well as a Food Preservation Equipment Library. The Growers Library is open April-October and has literature related to growing and preparing food. The Food Preservation Library was funded by a grant from King Conservation District and has poultry processing equipment, 2 large freeze dryers, dehydrators, miscellaneous canning equipment and vacuum sealers for borrow. We also have miscellaneous equipment for borrow such as: counter top electric grain mill. The goal of the Food Preservation Library is to decrease the waste of Vashon grown food. To borrow any of this equipment, you can contact board@vigavashon.org to schedule.
The Vashon-Maury Tool Library is a community resource designed to support and promote shared use of tools on Vashon and Maury Islands. All tools and furnishings have been donated by islanders to benefit the community, and staffing is entirely done by volunteers. Members can borrow any tool from our collection to use in their own projects.The library opened in late 2015 and has proved enormously popular with islanders. It now has over 500 members, a large and growing tool collection, and popular classes and workshops, as well as supporting the Vashon Fixit repair cafes.
The No Trash Bash Stash has items such as flatware, cloth napkins, table linen, plates, mugs, and more for your next event. The goal of the No Trash Bash is to reduce single use waste and lower the cost of renting items for small to large events. For more information and to reserve the NTBS, email abby.l.faust at gmail dot com
Waste Loop Tool Library is a membership-based tool library located at Eastside Rebuild in Cashmere, WA. We are committed to offering an extensive array of tools and resources to the local community. Membership tiers represent different levels of engagement and benefits tailored to meet the diverse needs of our community. We’re thrilled to offer a pay-what-you-can model for universal access to our resources! Ensuring easy access for all is our top priority.
Since June of 2010, The West Seattle Tool Library has provided donation-based access to over a 3,000 tools to any resident in our community. Over 4,000 residents have taken the Tool Library up on that offer and formed a great community of DIYers, makers, and students.
The West Seattle Tool Library is a community-led project to provide pay-what-you-can community access to a wide range of tools, training, and relevant advice.