A few folks in West Philly have been talking about getting a Tool Lending Library established in that area and recently, they’ve gotten some help. The Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC) has offered to help the library with its nonprofit status and they’ve been offered the use of a store-front property in the 4600 block of Woodland Ave for free for one year.

So it’s time to get organized and so they will be having their first meeting on Wednesday, May 16, at 6:30pm in the basement of the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, 48th & Baltimore Ave.

For more information, please contact Michael Froehlich at 215-779-4166 or email him here.

There is more information about tool lending libraries after the jump.

The basic idea is that they offer members the opportunity to borrow many different types of tools for a low annual membership fee of approximately $20. Over 20 cities in the U.S. have lending libraries, including Rochester, Columbus, Atlanta, Missoula, Oakland, Austin, Seattle, and Orem, UT.

It would be stocked with tools–like yard tools (weed whackers, shovels), hand tools (hammers, levels), power tools (circ saws, drills), extension cords, ladders, drop clothes, maybe even craft tools (silk screening tools, pottery tools). It would target home owners who want to do home repair but do not own their own tools or industrious tenants (like myself.) It might be open on Saturday and one or two evenings during the week. Folks might be able to borrow up to three tools that would be returned the following Saturday.

Funding would come from regular members, founding members (who pay an additional membership rate to help raise capital), and community supporters. Other tool lending libraries have successfully obtained grants and in-kind support from Home Depot and tool makers.

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5. Cindy Sheehan at the Free Library