In a new initiative designed to promote an accessible and sustainable way for people to get tools for their home, work, or personal projects, a Brooklyn Public Library location is opening a tool lending service to make getting these items easier for the community.
Born out of the Repair Hub program at the Greenpoint Environmental Education Center (GEEC), which is a part of a Brooklyn Public Library Incubator project, Greenpoint Library will now be offering the borrowing service.
This project is supported by the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund.
“Greenpoint Library’s Tool Library empowers patrons to borrow tools to work on home projects, repair their possessions and learn new tool skills,” the BPL’s website reads. “In making tools accessible to the community, Brooklyn Public Library is promoting environmental responsibility, sustainability and equity for all.”
The tool lending policy allows any patron with an adult library card to borrow up to three tools at a time, and this number can only include one power tool.
People can request to borrow items by placing them on hold by using a link provided in the website’s tool list or looking through the site’s catalogue. When someone’s tool is ready for pickup, the service notifies them by email, and they must be able to show ID and proof of their current address when going to retrieve them. Tools that are not picked up within 7 days will be taken off of hold.
When the patron is done with the tool, or the week-long lending period expires, they can return it to the reference desk at the Greenpoint Library.
“Please make sure to return cleaned tools with all their components, in the original case/box. Tools may not be left in book drops,” the website says.
More information regarding the guidelines of tool borrowing, the specific tools they are offering, how to check them out, and how to donate tools, can be found on the Brooklyn Public Library website.
