Fairfield has joined forward-thinking cities across Iowa and the country in offering a tool lending library, now available at the Fairfield ReStore. Tool libraries, sometimes called “libraries of things,” allow community members to share access to pricey home repair and gardening equipment, helping residents save money by offering tools and implements for free or at low cost.
History of Tool Lending Libraries
Tool lending libraries have been steadily gaining popularity since the 1940s. Impromptu tool libraries first sprang up during WWII, when raw materials were diverted to the war effort, leading to a shortage of domestic and garden tools. The first documented tool library was started in 1943 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and is still in operation, providing borrowers with over 150 tools, including bolt cutters, binoculars, and yard games.
Formalized tool libraries became much more common in the 1970s and ’80s, with tool libraries established in Berkeley, California, central Seattle, and Milwaukee that are still operating today. And the trend continues to grow—tool libraries in the U.S. increased from approximately 40 to over 60 between 2013 and 2015. Most formal tool libraries are associated with a nonprofit organization and some are connected with public libraries.
Fairfield’s Tool Lending Library
Fairfielder Eric Randall, who helped initiate the local endeavor, says that Deep Green Machine owner Frank Cicela started a tool lending library several years ago, but traveled out of town so frequently that he couldn’t set up something permanent. Randall took the idea and ran with it.
“The tool library has always seemed to be a good idea that would be welcomed by the community,” he says. “Many people have an occasional need for tools that either they can’t afford or only need for a one-time job, like shampooing a carpet, spray-washing a deck, or moving a refrigerator with a dolly. Some of this need was met by True Value, but since they went out of business, people have to go to Mount Pleasant or Ottumwa to rent tools.”
Randall first contacted Fairfield Public Library Director Alecs Schmidt-Mickunas and made a presentation to the Public Library Board. While interested in the concept, the board didn’t feel library staff had the expertise to keep tools maintained or the space to store larger tools.
“The obvious recommendation was that the ReStore should offer the tools,” Schmidt-Mickunas explains. Randall then called ReStore Manager Shanaz Kreider, who welcomed the idea and decided to offer a 90-day trial.
The Fairfield ReStore, located on Business Highway 34 West, now has a dedicated space for the lending library near the checkout counter, with a collection that currently includes a power washer, weed wackers, a tile cutter, and a carpet stretcher. People can borrow any of the tools for up to seven days after paying a refundable deposit. If maintenance costs end up being high, a nominal rental fee may be charged in the future.
The tool library is hoping to add 25–30 more items to the collection, including a jigsaw with a cord, a lawn mower, an air compressor, a concrete mixer, and a generator. Donations of large tools in good repair are most welcome. “If you have a power washer or rug shampooer that is gathering dust,” Randall says, “please consider donating to the lending library.”
If ReStore determines that a fee-based rental makes more sense after the 90-day trial period is completed, people who have donated tools will be given the opportunity to take their tools back.
Schmidt-Mickunas feels this tool library will be a popular resource. “Sometimes tools can be very expensive, and you may only need them once or twice. It’s more sustainable for us to be able to share resources.” If a rental fee has to be added, he explains, it will go towards supporting the ReStore’s ability to maintain the tools, expand their collection, and provide guidance on how to use them.
Informational packets about using the tool library can be found at Fairfield Public Library and at ReStore, open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at 1903 Business Highway 34.
Other Tool Libraries in Iowa
You can find tool lending libraries throughout the state that offer an array of resources for home maintenance and DIY projects. In Iowa City, the Salvage Barn has a Lending Tool Library available to members of the Friends of Historic Preservation. Memberships purchased at the Salvage Barn have a special rate of $30. The Tool Library has a wide selection of hand and power tools for home maintenance and restoration projects. Also in Iowa City, the Lichtenberger Engineering Library (part of the University of Iowa Libraries) provides a tool library for student use that offers hand tools, measuring devices, and virtual reality/augmented reality equipment.
In Cedar Rapids, the Matthew 25 Tool Library offers a wide range of tools for home, garden, and maintenance projects, with the inventory available online.
The Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity Tool Lending Library features over 400 tools specifically for homeowner repair and improvement, with annual memberships starting at $25.
In Bloomfield, the Bloomfield Public Library hosts a Library of Things that includes tools, kitchen equipment, and garden tools that may be borrowed for up to two weeks.
Tool Libraries Help Everyone
Any way you look at it, tool lending libraries are a fantastic idea, offering valuable resources to community members who temporarily need equipment for a project. They allow anyone short on money or storage space to borrow important tools to tackle DIY and maintenance projects. And they promote sustainability by sharing unused resources and reducing waste.