Anyone who has decided to start a new home project knows that having to purchase the right tools can often bring the cost of the project up quickly. There is also the problem of where to store these new investments that you might rarely use. WMNF’s Sustainable Living interviewed Safety Harbor Library’s Director Lisa Kothe and Mallory Cyr, Adult Services Manager, about a possible solution: the Safety Harbor Tool Library.
The Safety Harbor Tool Library is a city funded community service in Safety Harbor, Florida. It is an innovative approach to promoting sustainability and resource sharing. While not an entirely new concept, with hundreds of tool libraries all across the country, this is the only one that is listed in all of Florida.
The Safety Harbor Library created this program in 2016. Lisa Kothe, library director, details, “I’m always looking for new ideas that staff can maintain. It started out with my neighbor, asking if I had a post hole digger. I said I didn’t, so he went and bought one and then we were talking and I said, ‘you know you’ll probably never use this again’. Then the whole idea of a tool library got in my mind, and I started doing some research about the legalities of it and the cost of it, and where to store tools and all that good stuff. And we just started collecting tools at the beginning from the community to see what we would get.” With some asking, the staff saw the public had a need for accessible tools and equipment locally. After a year of planning, the Safety Harbor Tool Library became operational.
Some Tool Libraries are private, but this public one is located at the heart of the small City of Safety Harbor’s Public Library. Anyone who lives in all of Pinellas County can utilize this service. The S.H. Tool Library operates on a membership-based model similar to a library card. After gaining membership with the library and registering with the support platform that they use called “My Turn,” residents over the age of 18 are allowed to borrow tools for various projects, from common home repairs to gardening. This initiative not only reduces the financial burden on individuals but also encourages a culture of sharing and collaboration within the community.
After 9 years of operation S.H. Tool Library “has over 400 tools in stock.” Lisa Kothe states “We have pressure washers, carpet cleaners, hand saws, shovels, rakes, seed spreaders. We have 2 battery powered lawn mowers. We have wheelbarrows, miter saws, nail guns. Anything you can really think of, we’ve got.” Lisa says that “our most popular tool is actually a Brad nailer.”
Despite the variety of tools, you can’t just drop by to pick one out. Borrowers go to the website to browse the tools that they have available to check out, and reserve one at least one day ahead of pick-up. Lisa explains that they “need at least a day’s notice for the reservations to go through.” It’s even possible to make a reservation months in advance. With over 3000 rentals last year, sometimes to borrow a specific tool, you might have to plan ahead. The Library charges no late fees, and actually there is no cost at all, unless you damage the tool or fail to return it. They did explain that if the tool does not get returned, they will charge you for it and cut off the access of your library card.
One thing apparent is that the library is having a great impact with their role in fostering sustainability by promoting the reuse and sharing of resources. Mallory explains that “everybody doesn’t need that same piece of equipment in their garage that they’re only going to use once or twice a year.” She goes on to say that “it’s the sharing mentality that libraries are all about, whether we share tools or books or museum passes or games, or the number of things that we have that are non-traditional. This is just another outlet for libraries to contribute to sustainability in the community.” The library’s impact extends far beyond helping people with individual projects; it contributes to broader goals by promoting practices that align with sustainable living principles.
The library also builds community by giving access to tools and resources that members might not have or have even considered learning to use. Mallory recalls a “lady who had a contractor redo her kitchen, and they completely messed it all up. She ripped out the brand new kitchen herself, and she came to the Safety Harbor Tool Library and checked out the tile saws and the levels, and this and that. She redid the whole entire kitchen again on her own, and it is beautiful.”
For those interested in learning more about the Safety Harbor Tool Library or in supporting its mission, information is available through the City of Safety Harbor’s official website. Engaging with the library offers an opportunity to contribute to a sustainable future while benefiting from the resources and community connections it provides. If you have a usable tool in working, good condition that you would like to donate, please call 727-724-1525 *4112 to find out how. It isn’t just tools and books you can check out from the Safety Harbor Public Library, there is also a seed library and museum passes available.
If you love the Sustainable Living Show, make sure to tune in every Monday at 11am on 88.5fm or listen to past episodes in the archives here. You can also stay up to date with show happenings on our Facebook page. Head over to the tip jar and direct your donation to Sustainable Living to show your monetary support. Remember, it takes a community to build a community.
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