Would you be interested in a Tool Lending Library on Lopez? Let us know your opinions with this survey.
You need the right tools to do any job well, but not everyone has exactly what they need. Tool Lending Libraries (TLL) are a way to address this need while also strengthening communities and reducing the financial burden on individuals. Exactly as they sound, Tool Lending Libraries provide a supply of tools that the public can borrow and then return after a set time. There are many models for TLL membership and most are free. Need a tool only once a year? Want to learn how to use a tool before you buy one yourself? TLLs make a lot of sense for reducing redundancy of resources and helping empower people to accomplish do-it-yourself projects without having to invest in all the expensive equipment necessary to complete them. TLLs are not a new concept. They began in the late 1970’s. The first TLL was built in Columbus Ohio in 1976, followed by our Pacific Northwest neighbors on Seattle’s Phinney Ridge in 1978. Berkeley, California followed in 1979, and more TLLs have opened nationwide in the past decades. All of the early TLLs are still open today, and are the inspiration for creating our own Lopez Island Tool Lending Library (LITLL).
There has been a committee of people who have been meeting over the last two years to bring this vision into reality: representatives from the Lopez Library, Transition Lopez Island, and the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District, as well as other individual community members. After much discussion and exploration of ideas for location and structures, we are ready for community feedback. We have created a survey to collect the following information:
- Would you use a tool lending library?
- What tools would you like to see included?
- Do you have tools you would like to donate?
- Would you like to be involved as a volunteer?
- Would you like to donate tax deductible donations to LITLL?
To answer these questions, please go to any of these websites to access the survey:
www.lopezlibrary.org, www.lopezsolidwaste.org, www.transitionlopezisland.org