Give and take
Foundation creating space for lendable tools, expertise
You are familiar with a library staffed with helpful people; now imagine one where the shelves are stocked with tools instead of books and staff can show you how to use them.
Historic Albany Foundation is building a tool library for the Capital Region, a celebration of the sharing economy. HAF staff and volunteers hope making tools more readily available will reduce the amount of deferred maintenance in the city and expand the pool of people who are confident using tools.
We moved into an old house and we found there are tools you only need once for a job, and they are expensive."Kimberley
The board and staff of HAF decided to start a tool library after hearing about them in Buffalo, where the tool library is 10 years old, and Hudson.
HAF executive director Pam Howard and Kimberley Parker, director of outreach, programming and membership, turned to each organization for advice.
"We found, when we started reaching out, that many people had the idea and were looking for a way to do it," Parker said.
The people who already had an interest became donors and volunteers. HAF hopes to open the library in June.
Volunteers are busy painting shelves after clearing out a section in the Historic Parts Warehouse where spindles were stored. Volunteers from the preservationist carpentry company Albany Artisans created counters using salvaged wood they found in the warehouse. Company owner Chris Hacker serves on HAF's board and plans tutorials to show people how to use tools — a power tool class for women, for example.
The library will run on a membership model. Members will pay $20, but the fee is waived for volunteers. The library will be open on Saturdays (at least to start) and patrons will have the opportunity to meet with volunteers to describe their project, then learn how to use the tools necessary to complete it. Specially designed software will be used to check tools out and in.
Tools range from hammers and screwdrivers to power tools, table saws, shop vacs and one-time-use items, like masks and ear protection. If the library
has more of one thing than they need, they might sell the items at a low price and use the money to replenish the stock of disposable masks, for example.
Sharing tools and expertise is a common tradition in neighborhoods and among friends, but what if you are new to the area, or didn't have anyone to ask? The tool library will be a step up from YouTube tutorials, Howard said.
"We moved into an old house and we found there are tools you only need once for a job, and they are expensive," Parker said.
Then there's the matter of storage — who has room for a drum sander?
When HAF moves to a new location at 48 Hudson Ave. in a year or two, the tool library will remain at the parts warehouse at 89 Lexington Ave., Howard said. The idea is to eventually have
tool libraries in neighborhoods around the city to make access easier for everyone.