The West Philly Tool Library loans tools to community members so they can perform simple home maintenance, tend their yards and gardens, build furniture, start projects, and learn new skills in a safe and affordable manner. We aim to be a community resource to provide home owners, tenants, long-time residents, and newcomers with the tools (and the knowledge to work the tools!) they need.
The Tool Library is a fiscally sponsored project of the Urban Affairs Coalition (UAC). We are located at 1314 South 47th Street, just south of Woodland Avenue in a warehouse on the west side of the street.
As of February 2011, we currently have approximately 2500 tools and over 800 members. About one-third of our funding comes from annual membership dues and late fees. The balance is funded by generous community supporters including Woodland Building Supply, the University of Sciences in Philadelphia, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and the Philadelphia Activities Fund, PhillyCarShare, the Samuel S. Fels Fund, the Sparkplug Foundation, SCI-West, the Spruce Hill Community Association, and more.
The Tool Library is staffed by two tool librarians. A volunteer steering committee meets every other month to do fundraising, set policies, and other administrative and management tasks.
