By Lisa Kothe, Director, Safety Harbor Public Library
In early 2016, Safety Harbor Library staff saw a need for a tool lending library to provide our community access to tools at no cost. We put a call out, requesting quality, working-condition hand or electric tools. The response was overwhelming. We received donations of post hole diggers, miter saws, pole pruners, soldering guns, tile cutters and more. The average power drill is used only fifteen minutes in its lifetime. The posthole digger needed for that one project was probably still sitting in the corner of a garage in cobwebs. It made sense to share. We officially opened our Tool Library in December 2016.
We filled gaps of more expensive items with the help of the Friends of the Library who sponsored pressure washers and other large tools. Today our collection consists of 408 items either purchased or donated, and we now budget for new tools and replacement parts, just as we do books and other materials. Last fiscal year we hit a milestone of 10,000 checkouts, with an average of 210 checkouts per month.
To check-out tools, patrons must be over 18, have a current Pinellas Public Library Cooperative card and sign a Membership Agreement and Tool Use Policy and a release, both approved by our legal counsel. The Tool Library is maintained by our Adult Services Department who check items in and out, provide tool maintenance, account management, purchase of new items, and reservation preparation. Tools are reserved and picked up Wednesday through Saturday and returned anytime the library is open. The most popular tools, such as pressure washers, carpet cleaners, hedge trimmers, sanders, drills, brad nailers, etc., are housed inside the library. Larger items are kept in an outside shed.
The Safety Harbor Tool Library is the first in the state of Florida, bringing a popular and innovative library service to our users. If you are interested in starting a tool library in your community, we are happy to share our tips. Visit our Tool Library catalog; https://safetyharbortoollibrary.myturn.com/library/ to view our available tools, policies, and for contact information.
