Macaroni Kid Erie asked Erie Tool Lending Library founder Jay Breneman to tell us about this amazing free resource. Jay told us the Tool Lending Library is focused on city residents, but that it welcomes all Erie County residents to borrow from its "library" of thousands of tools, ranging from rakes and hammers to drain augers and drills. The Tool Lending Library is located on a vacant lot at 329 E. 28th St.
Here are more details from Jay on how the Tool Lending Library came to be, and how it's growing:
In 2016, as part of the Jefferson Educational Society’s Civic Leadership Academy, our cohort developed a resource guide for Erie County residents to inform them about the definitions, scope, and remedies for “blighted” properties. One of the recommendations from our “Citizen’s Guide To Blight” included initiating a “Tool Lending Library” so that renters and homeowners could borrow tools for home maintenance even if they didn’t have the resources to hire someone or buy new tools.
As I was cleaning out my garage toward the end of 2017, I realized I had enough spare tools to get a tool library concept started.
I began by keeping a few basket of tools at an old storefront used by the Academy Neighborhood Association, and just let them know they could borrow them as they pleased.
 | ||
There are thousands of tools to borrow at the Tool Lending Library, from hammers to tile cutters. |
A year later, I decided to be more intentional about the tool library concept, so I held regular hours every Saturday, and started requesting donations. From there, what became known as “The Tool Lending Library” has grown considerably.
'Bursting at the seams'
By late 2019, two years after I set aside a basket of tools, and one year after formalizing the program, I was occupying 500 square feet of space and bursting at the seams with a few thousand tools, and donations and users coming by several days a week from all over the Erie metro area. There were even volunteers who were spending a lot of time and resources to help out. It was clear by this point that I needed space that was more functional for storing, processing, and lending tools.
I started an online fundraiser, and also applied for a grant through ECGRA, which we were awarded.
With the money raised by me and one other volunteer, plus my own investment, we purchased a vacant lot at 329 East 28th Street. Decades ago, a home burned down there, and the property had been neglected ever since. Because of COVID-19, it took about 6 months to purchase the property from Erie County.
New location, new potential
In June, my son and I, along with a few volunteers, went to work to prepare the site at 329 E. 28th St. as the Tool Lending Library’s new home. I purchased a small shipping container, repainted it inside and out, set up an off-the-grid security system and lighting, installed heavy duty shelving, and purchased a tablet to manage inventory and tool loans.
 | ||
| The Tool Lending Library moved into a previously vacant lot at 329 E. 28th St. July 1, 2020. |
July 1st marked our official reopening, and now I’m accepting donations and lending tools by appointment while simultaneously converting the property into a more functional space for the neighborhood. Part of this includes installing compost bins, and soon we will have a collection system for our two mulberry trees that people can help themselves to. I’m also working on a system for self-serve, so folks can borrow and return certain tools without having to worry about appointments.
 | ||
Tool Lending Library founder Jay Breneman with his son. |
We have also partnered with two local organizations to host “branch” locations, and are looking to do more.
If you need to borrow a tool, or have tools you’d like to donate, you can contact me via text or phone at 814-490-6872 or email@jaybreneman.org.
Want to know more? Follow the tool lending library on Facebook or visit the Tool Lending Library website, which includes a partial list of inventory.
