I’ve been thinking about the advantages of tool libraries vs. maker spaces and why I think the latter would be more beneficial for creating access to tools for life and hobbies.
While I like the concept of tool libraries, I think providing larger sets of work spaces: art studios, carpentry spaces, bike shops, kitchens, office spaces, sewing rooms, etc. makes a lot more sense. For most of these activities, you need access to a variety of tools at once, and not everyone has space at home to work on refinishing furniture or spinning pottery. To me, the dream is having a series of community centers in every neighborhood that has various labs for community members to access to partake in hobbies, repair their stuff, etc. I do think integrating tool libraries into these spaces would be useful, for instance, the carpentry studio could have a wall of tools for you to check out if you need to accomplish something at home.
There are of course applications where tool libraries make more sense to me. Neighborhood garden tool sheds for example. I just think focusing on developing maker spaces would be a more effective way of providing these types of resources to communities.
Thoughts?
I think they fit a different niche.
After years going to hackerspaces and makerspaces, and being desperate of not seeing them produce big projects, I realized that they were not tool libraries for most of them. They are actually social spaces. Big projects, they start there but they usually move to more adapted places. A lot of the people with the knowledge and know-how to use these tools, they have ways to get access to them. They don’t need that space. But as the stereotype says, as geeks we are not that good at recognizing our social needs and we crave talking about tools, about making, about exchanging knowledge.
It is not about the tools, it is about what you learn there.
At the makerspace, you meet makers. Once you have the knowledge you need, you go at the tool library and you get the tools to get your thing done. Chances are what you want to do doesn’t fit in a shared workspace. Maybe you do something on a car, maybe you do something on a house, maybe you do something on a tree, maybe you want to show something to your young kid or to your family who lives in a remote place.
I write that from a workshop for my two mobile robots that I have founded thanks to the local makerspace. These robots they started their lives at the makerspace but now I need more room. I still go there when I have something to 3D print something or if I need the skill of the mechanical engineer there. But actually, I go there more than I need, because I like having lunch with them, I like hearing them exchange ideas about new machines, about the local politics, about board games, or about their latest crush.
That’s kind of what I was getting at, I think both have their strengths and weaknesses, and I think the discourse should reflect that.
Hey we are doing this exact thing! My mates and I have been expanding our community toy library into a community workshop and library of things. We’ve started with textile repairs but are working on grants for our new bike and electronic repairs section. We are also offer a space for small social enterprises to host courses. So far I really do agree that having the social aspect helps more people into the space and opens them up to the idea of sharing vs owning.
We live in a small rural village in Aotearoa so we’ve been lucky that we are able to make such a direct impact on our community. We’re hoping to become a model community and put together free resource packs so we can help everyone else start doing the same.
One thing I would really love to hear more about is time banking. It’s something we’d like to try here but we want to see a few examples in action so we can decide how we’ll set ourselves up.
That’s awesome! What sorts of lessons have you learned in navigating that transition?
The hardest part has been navigating the egos of people on local community council but we now have enough of us that we will be pushing for governance changes so like consensus decision-making, co-chairs and collective leadership.
I think it’s really important to learn to delegate and to be open around ideas that might be different than yours but will still address the problem.
As far as having a community hub space, it’s just as great as you can imagine! We get to go for grants or fundraise if there is something in the community we think we need. Things that don’t really make sense for just one person to own. One of the things we would like to get in the next year or two is a good laser cutter. As people started coming for mend-it nights, they started to see all the neat things we have that they can borrow and hear us talking about community. I think giving people a 3rd space that offers both social support and financial support in the way of items they might not be able to afford to buy has really helped people feel that sense of stability. Stability really is the key to progress! Once people feel safe, they can give more energy to their passions and their community.
10/10 would recommend
I feel like a maker space with a tool library attached would be the best of both worlds.
I don’t have any major power tools because they’re a huge investment, and even if I did I wouldn’t have space to house them.
Some projects you can’t take to the maker space though. Most home improvement projects would require you to bring the tool to the site.
So anyway, I guess I want the best of both worlds.
You need at least the workshop to repair and maintain tools next to the tool library.
Tool libraries tend to be free or cheap. The makerspace near me runs north of $150/month for limitted access at, frankly, inconveniet hours.
I get its geared towards people who don’t have the budgets or room, but having such(mostly the room, but for the price, I’m builing up a decent tool-set instead of paying fees), I would rather work around my neighbors’ sleeping schedules and the city noise ordnance than drive downtown to use someone else’s stuff, strictly during daylight hours.
In Denver, at least, our tool library is $150/year, or $40/week.
Our makerspace, Denhac, is $45/month, or $22.50/month for students, seniors, etc.
The makerspace allows for 24/7 badge access and has a full machine shop, a full wood shop, two CNC routers, auto/bike tools, a bunch of resin and FDM 3D printers, a well-stocked textile shop, a well-stocked electronics shop, a bunch of workspaces and meeting rooms, and short-term storage. The tool library has portable hand and power tools you can take home with limited shop hours at an rate of $22/hour or $19/hour if you’re a member.
Sure, the tool library is cheaper, but as soon as you need any of the bigger tools, it makes much more sense to join the makerspace unless you absolutely need to be able to take tools home, and even then, if you need a shop for more than 2 hours per month, it just makes sense to do both and never use the shop at the tool library.
If I wasn’t being clear, putting “makerspace” on what we have locally is something of a bad joke to me, and I’m un-aware of any tool library beyond the fact that there are power-tools(and the use of 3D printers) available for checkout at our public libraries.
Personally, I have a lathe, mill, 3D Printer, (incredibly light-duty-CNC) and a couple laser engraver setups, along with most woodworking tools, save a jointer. I’m closer to openning my own makerspace and/or tool-library than to going back to using the existing makerspace.
I think the question is misformed.
As you point out, it’s circumstantial. It depends on what resources are currently in offer and what unmet need you’re looking to fill.
Are you thinking of starting a marketplace?
