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A tool library is a place where community members can borrow tools for set periods of time at low or no cost. It is an example of the sharing economy: a neighborhood-focused, not-for-profit network where community members share practical resources in a centralized space. Our tool library is a social enterprise model, and represents the work of people and organizations in the community coming together to share resources and knowledge, reduce waste, and lower barriers to access. 

We were founded in 2021 as a work project of Virginia Organizing, and we opened our doors in March 2022.

Like a lot of great things, the tool library started out as a great idea that was shared among a group of like-minded friends. After many Zoom meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, our collaborative group launched Cville Tool Library in December 2021.

The Cville Tool Library is volunteer-run. Our volunteer working board collaboratively steers the ship. Dedicated shop volunteers keep our doors open and our members happy.

Some of the big challenges tool libraries face are (1) maintaining enough dedicated volunteers to consistently run operations, (2) scaling too quickly and not being able to maintain growth, and (3) keeping the service accessible to everyone, while still finding the funding to sustain the organization.

The best part is our members! We love to share in the experiences of projects they are doing, and ways their homes and lives are improving with our tools. We love to see pictures of member projects! It is great to see our streets cleaned up, a healthy tree canopy, prolific flower and vegetable gardens, and people interacting with art, trails, and green spaces.

When you become a member you get unlimited access to our inventory, which will grow over time. Our basic membership level allows you to check out multiple tools at a time, and the typical loan period is one week. Don’t buy tools, borrow ours!

Our memberships are currently structured as a yearly rate, and membership fees are on a sliding scale. See our membership page for details.

Any resident in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area who is over 18 years old and agrees to our borrowing terms can become a member.

The tool library is open Saturday mornings (9 -noon) and Thursday evenings (6 - 8 PM). The Cville Tool Library relies on the dedication of our faithful volunteers to staff the library. If our hours change, our website and communications will always be updated and the update will go out to members via email and social media

Our late fees are meant to ensure tools come back on time, so that they can be available for another member who might need them. Late fees are not meant to be a barrier to borrowing, and if you know you can’t return your loan on time, just contact us to extend it! The Cville Tool Library is totally run by volunteers, so cleaning fees help us offset the time volunteers will have to spend cleaning and fixing tools brought back in poor condition. All fees help to fund the Cville Tool Library and keep our doors open for everyone’s benefit.

Most likely, yes! Email us at info@cvilletoollibrary.com. Most of the time we can accommodate renewals, but if there is a long waitlist for a tool we might ask you to bring it back on time. It never hurts to ask!

MyTurn is our digital lending library platform, and allows members to browse our inventory, and sign-up or renew their memberships online. MyTurn was started by the founder of the West Seattle Tool Library, and works closely with us to provide the best possible experience for our volunteers and members.

Many Tool Libraries in other localities allow (and encourage!) organizations to use the Tool Library to support community gardens and neighborhood or waterfront clean-ups, as well as to tackle small projects in their offices or shops. This can be an incredibly affordable and sustainable way for block clubs, neighborhood associations, youth groups, faith-based groups, school groups, and others to come together and get things done! If you have a project in mind and think we can help, please reach out!

Volunteers! When tools come back broken, but repairable, they are our go-to people! All of our volunteers and members contribute to making sure things are in working order. If you have a problem with a tool, please let us know and we can help troubleshoot.

At the moment, with so much inventory in such a small space, it is not feasible to have open workshop space for members. We are working hard to change this soon!

DIY workshops are an initiative to bring access to tools and access to knowledge to the community. Popular and seasonal projects are tackled by volunteer instructors. We love teaching people to use the tools we offer!

• We are always scheduling workshops, and events will be added to our calendar throughout the year.  If you have an idea for a DIY workshop you’d like us to offer, please let us know.
• If you have a skill you would like to share in a workshop setting, tell us about it! Workshop leaders receive an honorarium plus volunteer assistants, expense reimbursement, and administrative support.
• The best way to stay informed and up-to-date is to follow the Cville Tool Library on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

Many of the people involved in starting the Cville Tool Library are interested in establishing a MakerSpace alongside the tool library.  As the tool library grows and becomes established in Charlottesville, a Makerspace won’t be far behind!

We are very grateful you are considering the Tool Library with your donation. We can assure you that the tools will go to great use in furthering our mission. While we'd love to accept everything that comes our way, we need to be selective due to member needs, current inventory and space.  We are most interested in power tools (air compressors, nailers, drills, pressure washers, tillers, etc) and professional grade equipment, but also happily accept most types of hand tools in good condition (tape measures, wrenches, clamps, pliers, etc). Additionally, we accept other items like party tents, upholstery cleaners, yard/garden tools, and sewing machines.

Our basic acceptance criteria for donated tools are:

• Items are in working order and include all necessary parts/accessories.
• Battery-operated tools are of recent age, with batteries that hold a good charge and include chargers. No Nicad batteries, please. 
• Tools are of a modern vintage (for safety and maintenance reasons) and are (reasonably) clean.

Naturally, there are some exceptions to these criteria as some high-quality tools needing a simple repair or of an older vintage may still be valuable to our membership. When in doubt, or if you plan on donating large items and need pick-up, please drop your information into this form. It helps us immensely to have an idea of age, brand, and quality of tools before they're on our doorstep. Usually, the simplest thing for donors to do is to take a video or snap several photos of bigger/higher value items or the entire tool collection. Please include brands, manufacturers identification labels, model numbers and any condition notes when possible.

Donations may be brought to the Cville Tool Library during our open hours: Thursdays 4-7 pm and Saturdays 9 am-noon.  If your donation is large enough, we have volunteers to help pick up/transport. If you'll need help unloading, please let us know in advance so we can plan on having some extra hands available. Contact us for details.

While we make every attempt to maintain and keep tools, occasionally our inventory is overloaded with a certain type of tool; therefore, please be aware that while we really appreciate (and survive on) donations, your specific tool may not be kept in inventory indefinitely. Tools removed from inventory might be sold to help cover operating costs, bartered for high-demand items, properly recycled or upcycled (if in disrepair), or donated to another nonprofit organization.

Our space is limited, so most times we can't accept remnant lumber or hardware donations. We encourage community members to share amongst each other by posting any loose/leftover consumables (lumber, hardware, that half-gallon of mud you have left, etc.) to a Facebook BuyNothing group, Freecycle, or craigslist. Otherwise, we suggest donating it to the Habitat store.

Absolutely! We rely on the support of our community for a large chunk of our operations. No donation is too small. Please see our donations page for how to become a supporter!

Thank you for considering a large-scale private gift to Cville Tool Library. We would be happy to discuss options for targeted giving, and our organizational needs with you. Please contact us!

Our initial inventory was entirely based on donated tools. (Yay! What a fabulously generous community we live in!) We now source tools from a mix of used tool donations, sponsorships, and buying new with our own funds.

Every community has different needs. Generally the kinds of tools most frequently checked out are:

• Home improvement hand tools: Wrench, clamp, bolt cutter, pry bar/crow bar, axe, sledgehammer, hammer, trowel, hacksaw, mattock, chisel, paint rollers, paint scraper, tin snip, and drain snake;
• Lawn/garden hand tools: Garden trowel, plastic and metal rake, shovel, spade, lopper, pruning saw, push lawn mower, push broom, post hole digger, hand pruner, hand tiller, hoe, tamper, post pounder, trash grabber, and wheelbarrow;
• Lawn and garden power tools (all electric): String trimmer/weed wacker, electric tiller, pressure washer, hedge trimmer, edger, leaf blower, electric lawn mower, chainsaw, and electric pole saw;
• Other electric power tools: Drill, driver, hammer drill, circular saw, miter/chop saw, tile saw, jig saw, reciprocating saw/sawzall, table saw, belt sander, finish sander, detail sander, orbital sander, palm sander, planer, and angle grinder;
• Pneumatic tools: Brad nailer, finish nailer, and staple gun;
• Accessories: Extension cords, batteries, chargers, air compressors, air hoses, ladders, step stools, dollies, saw horses, shop vac, bits, sockets, squares, levels, tape measures, and stud finders.

Not officially, but we do keep in contact with our fellow tool libraries across the country and abroad, and tool library coordinators are fabulous sharers and problem-solvers! We will put you in touch with another tool library if we are able.