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The Guelph Tool Library is helping the community stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic with new virtual programming.

“Our whole mission is surrounded in a world where people receive joy in sharing. But without being able to share physically, we still want to be able to maintain that connection. It’s so important right now,” says Stephanie Clarke, sustainability coordinator at the Guelph Tool Library.

“Lending is the new spending” at the Guelph Tool Library and in normal circumstances, members borrow from a full inventory of tools including those used in food preparation and preservation, gardening, renovations and arts.

The non-profit organization seeks to build community resilience by sharing knowledge, skills and resources with various projects including repair cafes, workshops and training sessions.

Since closing its doors at Tytler Public School in March due to the pandemic, Clarke was determined to have the tool library continue with sharing and teaching hands-on programs, virtually.

The new on-line programming includes a virtual craft night, on-line backyard caring workshops, question and answer sessions with repair café volunteers and on-line contests.

“This was so important to me personally. I felt so lost at the beginning of all of this because so much of my life is about planning programs for the tool library,” Clarke said.

“I looked at other online programs and I thought that this is something that we just had to do to stay connected to everyone.”

On a typical Monday night, the Guelph Tool Library used to offer a craft night, drop-in sewing or another type of hands-on skillshare.

Now, the program is virtual with a version of craft night taking place every Monday over Zoom. (link is on Facebook)

“When we have our physical space, our craft nights give members and non-members an opportunity to use our tools and a creative space to work in,” Clarke said.

“So, we thought why not invite people to gather whatever tools and supplies they have at home and they can then share what they’ve made. The projects, so far, have been drastically different and we hope others can be inspired when they see them.”

Participants are encouraged to share project advice and provide demonstrations. Some have already shared their skills in basket weaving, mosaic art and sock darning.

The Backyard Caring Program Workshop Series would usually be held Wednesday nights and it has now been moved to Instagram Live which includes a demonstration and a question and answer period afterwards.

The one-hour on-line program includes topics such as starting seedlings, building your own composter and designing an outdoor garden space. The workshops are hosted by @backyardcaring on Instagram Live at 7 pm every Wednesday.

Backyard Caring Coordinator, Meredith Sweeney hopes to build a local community of gardeners who can access customized gardening information.

“I’ve also been joining Meredith and she has been helping me with starting seeds, composting and plotting out my own yard. She will also be providing tours of her own garden during the workshops,” Clarke says.

Also, with the cancellations of two scheduled repair cafes, volunteer fixers have offered their expertise in a weekly livestream program every Thursday at 7 p.m. on Instagram Live.

The program is hosted by @gtoollibrary and has already covered clothing repairs, knife and tool sharpening, and bicycle maintenance.

Viewers are invited to ask questions live or in advance and have them answered during the program.

“Our fixers show their talents and offer advice on how to fix with minimal tools. For example, if you don’t have a bike repair kit, they will share what you can use instead, right from your own toolbox at home,” Clarke said.

“So far, the response has been really great. We keep the livestreams up for 24 hours afterwards and we also take questions after the program as well.”

Clothing repair volunteers have also been busy making caps and gowns for medical workers during the pandemic.

“We’ve made over 1,000 scrub caps for Guelph General Hospital and now we are making them for paramedics and for workers in care homes,” Clarke said.

Masks are also being made for patients, the general public and for vulnerable populations including those who are homeless.

Since going virtual, The Guelph Tool Library has also featured games and contests such as “guess that tool” on its social media accounts.

“We hope to continue our programming on-line and even build upon them. We want to encourage people to see what they can do with limited supplies,” Clarke says.

“We are all sharing in this complicated struggle right now and it’s so important that we stay connected.”

Guelph Tool Library to temporarily close amid COVID-19 Concerns

for a minimum period of three weeks, amid current COVID-19 concerns. As the GTL operates on Upper Grand District School Board property, the facility is subject to the same rules and regulations regarding closures as all publicly funded schools in Ontario.

Effective Friday, March 13th at 6 pm, the Guelph Tool Library will undergo a temporary closure that is expected to extend until Monday, April 6th. Items that are currently signed out can be returned on Friday, March 13th during regular operating hours. Late fees will not accrue during this temporary closure, but will be reinstated when the Guelph Tool Library reopens.

Outgoing loans can be processed on March 13th, and will not be subject to late fees until the Guelph Tool Library reopens upon approval from the Upper Grand District Schoolboard. GTL staff will continue to monitor the situation and will update their members as new information regarding the closure becomes available. All on-site programs at the Guelph Tool Library are currently postponed. Ticket holders for any upcoming workshops will be refunded or given the option to put their current ticket towards a future event. Our appearance at the eMerge Guelph Eco Market will be rescheduled.

A PREVIOUS VERSION OF THIS MESSAGE INDICATED THE GUELPH TOOL LIBRARY WOULD BE OPEN MARCH 15TH, THIS HAS SINCE BEEN REDACTED DUE TO THE FULL CLOSURE OF ALL UGDSB SPACES EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

Spring is just around the corner, and that gets many of us thinking about Spring Cleaning. For some individuals, this means a deep clean of the whole house, inside and out. For others, it’s as simple as packing away the bulky boots and coats, and swapping them for sun hats and shorts. Most of us are somewhere in the middle when it comes to getting our living spaces ready for spring. There’s one thing that inevitably comes along with a spring clean, and that’s our excess clutter getting an eviction notice. Often, our undesirable stuff gets sent to the bin, but a good chunk of that trash might be treasure to another person, organization, or alternative recycling facility. 

If you’re looking to get started on a de-cluttering journey, the thing you’ll need most of is time! Set aside a weekend that you (and anyone else who lives with you) can go through your home, room-by-room. 

Begin by separating items in to 4 main sections (Re-home, Discard, Repair, and Keep), and use the guide below to ask yourself some questions about each item. 

Re-Home: You might not wear that mink coat anymore, but an orphaned animal living in a humane society or rehab facility may find cozy comfort in that forgotten furry fashion. When an item has lost its frequency of use or value to you, that doesn’t mean it’s useless! If you attended Re:Purposefest last year, you know that there are dozens of local organizations that can reuse the household items you may no longer find value in. Our Re:Purposefest event will be coming up again this summer, so you may want to hold on to some of that clutter a little longer if you have somewhere to store it. Keep an eye on our website and social media for more updates about Re:Purposefest 2020. 

If you’re not in the position to hold on to your unwanted goods, there are plenty of organizations who can take your items year-round. 

• The Guelph Tool Library – Our library thrives off of donations of unwanted household items. Over 95% of our 900+ tool and appliance inventory has been donated. Do you have an unwanted (but working) tool or appliance? We would love to have it and share it with our members. 
• Palz Trading Zone – The barter system is alive and well on this cashless trading platform. If your closet cleanout leaves you lacking in items you need, with a surplus of items you’d like to unload, try trading them with others! Groups are geared to specific cities or areas, and some groups host meetups and community events.
• Craft Supplies – The Creation Station is a local initiative for exploring art.  We are collecting arts and crafts materials. 
• Sheets and Towels – GENTLY USED – Fleece blankets, towels, flat sheets, knitted blankets, baby blankets can be donated to the Guelph Humane Society.  
• Clothing and Housewares – There are several local thrift stores, consignment shops, and community clothing closets that are willing to take your items that are clean, intact, and in good condition. If your items are not usable or wearable, check out some of the resources below to find the best place to dispose of or recycle your goods. 

Discard – Discarding an item isn’t limited to landfill. Many items can be recycled or reused through alternative programs, and there are a number of collection spots locally or within a reasonable distance. 

• Guelph Tool Library – We also collect additional items for recycling or reuse:

• • • • Cell Phones – The GTL collects cell phones for the Toronto Zoo Phone Apes program 
      • Eye Glasses – If you have spare pairs of eyeglasses, we collect them on behalf of the Lions Club of Guelph
      • Batteries – We collect dead batteries on behalf of The City of Guelph, or they can be brought to the Waste Resource Innovation Centre.

• Markers and Pens – Through in-store collection at over 300 locations across Canada, Staples Canada and Terracycle have successfully diverted over 2 million writing instruments from ending up in landfills.
• Terracycle –  There are a variety of items that Terracycle accepts through a combination of free and paid recycling programs. Check out their website to see all of their programs
• Mascara and Makeup Wands – Project Wild Wands Canada collects old mascara and makeup wands and sends them to wildlife rehabilitation centres across Canada. 
• Crayons – Crazy Crayons takes unwanted, rejected, broken crayons to a better place, where they will be recycled into new crayons! 
• City of Guelph – The Waste Resource Innovation Centre has programs for recycling paint, bicycles, electronic waste, and so much more. The Waste Wizard is also a great resource for helping us determine which bin our waste goes in. 

Repair – For those items you’re not ready to let go of, or you’d like to donate/trade once they are in working condition, repairing is a great way to avoid excess waste. 

• Repair Cafe – Repair Cafe events are part of an international movement. The Guelph Tool Library hosts Repair Cafes 6 times per year in locations throughout Guelph. Our next event is a mini Repair Cafe, coming up Monday, March 16th at Royal City Brewery from 6 to 8 pm. 

• Take a Class or Workshop – The Guelph Tool Library offers ongoing workshops in clothing repair, cell phone repair, knife sharpening, and more. Keep an eye on our Calendar of Events to stay in the loop. 
• Teach Yourself – The Internet is home to limitless resources for repair, including blog posts, sites like Instructables, and for more visual learners, YouTube videos can help you learn everything from electronics repair, to how to darn socks. 

Keep – When deciding what to keep in a declutter, there are many questions you need to ask yourself. Some methods, like KonMari, tap in to the psychology of clutter, and why we keep the things that we do. 

A few basic things to ask yourself:

Is this item frequently used? Decluttering isn’t necessarily the time to replace your frequently used, functional items. However, it is a great time to take stock of what you have, and to see the last time you used it. Decluttering experts suggest hanging up your clothes with the hanger hook facing all one way. When you take out an item and hang it back up after you wear it, flip the direction of the hanger hook. That way, when you are doing a seasonal declutter, you can see what items you have worn, and what items you have ignored. It is then easier to assess which things you can get rid of. Similar methods could be used for books, kitchen gadgets, and tools. Once you are aware of which items you use, you can decide what things you’d like to keep. It helps to get family members or roommates involved in a declutter as well, as you may not know the significance of each item, or how often it is used. 

Does it have a space in my place? If you are finding a number of items that don’t have a ‘home’, look in to storage solutions that suit your needs, or consider if the item is worth keeping, based on usage level, replacement value, and size. 

What is the replacement value? If it is an item you haven’t used in a long time, but you think you would use again, consider what it would cost to replace the item, or how difficult it would be to find again. Value can also apply to factors that aren’t monetary, such as sentimental or historical value. Try to limit these items when possible, or find the appropriate storage or display to honour and appreciate these special pieces in your collection. 

As you’re working on your spring clean, remember that the Guelph Tool Library carries a number of items to help you stay on track, such as an electronics repair kit, a number of sewing machines, several vacuums and shop-vacs, and even a window washing kit.

One of the first questions that I am asked about the Guelph Tool Library (GTL) is “what tools do you have?”.  That is usually followed up by “where do they come from?”. 

The first question is easy to answer, “more than you might expect!”.  We have over 800 items in inventory and about 300 more smaller accessories.  We have everything from table saws and rototillers to kitchen appliances and craft items.  Smaller accessories such as individual drill bits and saw blades usually don’t make it into the inventory system.  The best way to find out what we have is to go to our MyTurn site or just come in and look around.

The second question is a bit more complicated but speaks to how we operate the Guelph Tool Library.  One of our goals is to keep items out of the landfill, so most of our items are secondhand and have been donated.  We average one or two donations a week which could be anything from a single item to a car load of tools. We estimate that about 90% of our inventory is donated. 

The source of donations is almost as varied as the types of donations.  We have people donate tools that they used for a special project and now no longer need.  After all, you can only tile your bathroom so many times! Also, we receive items from people that are moving away or downsizing to a smaller residence.  Large donations often come from estates with families and friends pleased to know that a loved ones tools are going to be used and cherished. We do pick ups and some of our most popular items have come from estate donations.

When a donation arrives at the GTL a few things happen with it.  Each donation is examined for defects, tested, and if we decide to loan it out, put into inventory.  Not everything that comes to us goes into inventory. We have a list of items that we want and items that we don’t accept posted on our website and social media.

Also, before putting something into our inventory we consider if the item is portable, will it stand up to lots of use, and if it is in safe condition.  We do a lot of replacement of power cords which often come to us damaged and taped up. One of our biggest challenges is maintaining older tools as parts are often no longer available.  Most of this work is done on Thursday nights which is our fixing night.

The balance of the donations are purchased.  We spend about $2000 a year on new tools which are purchased locally if possible.  The money comes from memberships, grants, and special campaigns. Some of the items that have been purchased include our button maker, cider press, and Cricut printer.

We also use the feedback that we get from our members to decide what we will purchase.  If someone asks us about a tool we don’t have, we will consider purchasing it. We recently purchased an Oscillating Multi Tool after such a request.  

Finally, the management of our tools would not be possible without our wonderful volunteers.  They are the ones collecting, fixing, and putting our items into the inventory system. To get an item from a “donation” to be “ready to loan” usually takes about 30 minutes.  If you are interested in helping us out please consider sending us an email at info@guelphtoollibrary.org or dropping by to talk with a librarian.

John Dennis, Tool Fixer and GTL Coordinator  (Jan 6, 2020)

On Saturday, August 10th, community members are invited to gather to celebrate sustainable living at Guelph’s first Zero Waste Festival.  

The Guelph Tool Library will present the festival as part of their Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed Grant. The organization was awarded the grant in the fall of 2018, and will continue to offer their Sustainability Series workshops throughout the until the end of August. So far, their workshops have included clothing repair, furniture refinishing, basic carpentry, and more – all with a focus on reducing personal waste and consumption.

The Zero Waste Festival will offer a a vendor fair with products for creating a low-waste home and lifestyle. There will be a mini Repair Cafe event, with the opportunity to have bikes, clothing, and small appliances or electronics fixed by a team of volunteers. This portion of the event will be free to attend, but pre registration is recommended, and donations are welcome.

As this event is designed to make us converse about our waste and consumption habits, we are asking all participants to use active transportation, public transit, or carpool wherever possible. There will be free vehicle and bike parking, and a bike tune-up station provided by the Repair Cafe and CSA Bike Centre. The Victoria Road Rec Centre is conveniently located on the #13, #17, and #18 bus routes and is a fully accessible building with ramps, accessible washrooms, elevators and automatic doors.

Food will be available for purchase at the festival, and reusable plates and cutlery provided by Hillside Festival will allow for minimal environmental impact. Attendees are encouraged to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the ample seating indoors and out. The outdoor space offers a newly updated natural playscape for children. Bottled water will not be sold by any food vendors at the festival, but the Water Wagon will be on site – bring a cup or bottle fo

The event will feature a series of workshops and speakers, with pay-what-you-can pricing (suggested $5-$15 per event). Alternatively, a Festival Pass is available for $25-$35, and includes access to two or more workshops and events. Some of the workshops on offer include upcycled rag-rug making, sashiko mending, and furniture refinishing. The full lineup will be released on June 14th, but keep an eye on Facebook and Instagram for sneak previews.

For those looking to continue the sustainability discussion after the event, the official Afterparty is being hosted at Royal City Brewing Company from 6 pm to 9 pm.