Seattle’s tool lending libraries are yet another inspiring example of how our neighborhoods (and our neighbors!) are taking sustainability and resilience into their own hands. A ‘sharing economy’, ‘collaborative consumption’, or ‘underused asset utilization’, call it what you will, because sharing is contagious!

These tool libraries offer pay-what-you-can community access to a wide range of tools, training, and advice, as well as ongoing classes & workshops, fixer collectives, and neighborhood gatherings. They also aim to inspire people to participate in community projects such as park restorations, and pursue sustainability at home through energy improvements, water harvesting and edible landscaping.

West Seattle Tool Library
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Seattle, WA 98106
Membership $40 (discounts for seniors, students and low income)
library@sustainablewestseattle.org or (206) 317-4671

ToolLibraryPNA Tool Lending Library
Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98115
PNA membership – individual ($30-$99), household ($60-$99), business & more. PNA members may borrow tools for a modest suggested weekly tool maintenance fee listed with each tool. (206) 783-2244

NE Seattle Tool Library & Bike Shack
10228 Fischer Pl NE
Membership $40 (discounts for seniors, students and low income)
info@neseattletoollibrary.org or (206) 524-6062

Capitol Hill Tool Library
1552 Crawford Place, between Pike and Pine
Membership by donation

Ballard Tool Library
7549B 15th Ave NW
Membership $35

Interested in starting a tool library in your community? A good first step is to contact your local neighborhood association and see what’s already in the works. Additional resources include the Tool Library Starter Kit, created by Share Starter and the West Seattle Tool Library, and ‘How to start a tool library in your community’, an online webinar featuring a number of tool library founders around the country.

For your additional reading pleasure, tool library headlines…

Tools are costly and take up space. Tool libraries are popping up so people can share – Washington Post

DIY Heroes: 10 Backyard Builders Changing the World – Popular Mechanics

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