Portland's Neighborhood Tool Sharing Libraries

[MrRobertGulabo]

This is something I have thought about for a while and I am so happy to see this! Please keep up the great work! This whole business paradigm of "everyone must have one" is ridiculous. Every community should have this.

[workwithnature]

Ah peak oil such an eye opener Thanks :)

[lovestopsfear]

frickin awesome!!! Berkeley has a tool library which works with the public libraries and all you need is a library card. And Burlington, VT has a small garden tool library right in the lobby of the main library. i would love to know of other ones in the states or in the world.

[5lkk]

I don't know. I have a hard time equating an accomplished DIY putting together a well appointed home shop, to run of the mill consumerism. A tool that potentially would see rare use may be tool unpurchased, but when one is purchased, it's that important to have it at hand whenever needed.

[5lkk]

Cont; Then again it was a time when fewer tools where needed to construct, maintain a homestead, but probably a significant outlay all the same. Perhaps as not as much friendly lending as we would want to believe. An irresponsible person could really endanger your families well being. That was then, today is today. And we shouldn't be comparing a tool library to yesteryear. or yesteryear to tool libraries

[5lkk]

I'd have to think the trend for somewhat fully complemented as finances permitted. home shops has to be as old as the home stead act, if not older. A lot of work could be complted in the time it took to trave clear cross a township. 

[nevyn1]

this is great! i love the total package, and the adaptabillitie to so many other uses of the system.

It would be great to add a bulletin board where members could post their problem and other members could come up with the solution and tell you how to use the tools to solve the problem.

[silversobe]

To have access to something when you need it, whether its a tool or necessity, ownership becomes irrelevant. Cars spend 80% of their life in parking lots. Tools probably much longer. Why hoard what you hardly use when others could use it when needed. We could completely redesign tools without planned obsolescence. Making them built to last and easily repairable if needed. Reaching an unprecedented level of sustainability, efficiency, and access abundance.

[nevyn1]

@silversobe wise words!

[monterock100]

Great interview, great idea! As mentioned in the interview, Portland, as a rule, is a few steps ahead of other places and when one sees this sort of endeavour occurring in Ptld it just fits. But, great ideas that work in Portland don't always transplant so well in other parts of the country. Perhaps it has to do with the different vibrational frequencies of society. Ptld is a high frequency area, where I live in AR is a low frequency zone where good ideas have a really tough time germinating.

[nevyn1]

@monterock100 then start preparing the soil! ;-)

[NZKarmakaze]

Damn communists...

Wait...

[jchahine]

I wish we had one around here -- have often thought of this idea. i wonder do local Tool Rental businesses have an opinion about this? I'd like to have seen a comparison of Pros and Cons. I'm assuming it's cheaper, but I didn't hear if they pay a fee per rental at the Library or not.

[peakmoment]

@jchahine, the tool libraries do not charge a fee for rentals.

[jezzyby47]

Great idea, but what do you do to prevent someone from lending out 7 valuable tools JUST before they are due to move to a different part of the country, taking those tools with them? Do you take deposits for each tool - and then return the deposit when the tools are returned?

[MatthewCravatt]

We love the concept of a Tool Lending Library. One of the things we promote here in S OK is sharing, a difficult concept for some to grasp after the past decades of materialism. Our economy helps many realize we cannot continue our "Dedication to maniacal appetite," (Disturbed, Another Way to Die). Daily. We see folks embrace the idea of not owning everything in the big box, to be kept in rented storage. Sharing as an establishment, what a concept. Thanks again girls, from Indian Country Farms

[johnu78]

This is a great idea! It makes sense not to have any gas powered tools, that must make it much easier to manage the inventory.