HISTORIC ALBANY FOUNDATION WELCOMES NEW TOOL TRUCK AND CELEBRATES TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF TOOL LENDING LIBRARY
Historic Albany Foundation is pleased to announce a ribbon cutting and birthday celebration for the Tool Lending Library. With the two year anniversary of the founding of the Tool Lending Library, HAF is holding a ribbon cutting for the new Tool Truck. The event will take place on Wednesday, August 28th at the HAF headquarters at 89 Lexington Avenue at 4pm. Light refreshments will be served.
In a creative and cost effective way to expand the tool Lending Library services to additional patrons throughout the City of Albany, Historic Albany Foundation has created a Tool Truck as a mobile library. HAF has partnered with the Albany Public Library and is creating a schedule to lend from library branch parking lots.
The Tool Truck is funded through the City of Albany’s ARPA grants. HAF received a $50,000 pandemic relief grant to expand the services of the bricks and mortar Tool Lending Library housed within the HAF Warehouse at 89 Lexington Avenue, which celebrates its second anniversary this month.
What is a Tool Library?
Libraries of things have been growing in popularity as an antidote to waste, the excess of consumerism, and the issue of ongoing inequality. For a minimal annual fee of $20, all members are able to borrow and return items as and when needed. Tools are often expensive, and for many do not represent a meaningful investment, in that they may only be used a handful of times, are for one project, or are only used at certain times of the year. The Tool Library will not only promote a sharing economy but will also empower the residents of the Capital Region by showing them how to use the tools as well.
In short, our aim for the Tool Library is to:
> Democratize tools to make preservation more accessible to all
> Empower individuals by teaching skills
> Create an active sharing economy and community
> Help the environment
Historic Albany Foundation is a 49 year old non profit membership based organization whose mission is to preserve and protect Albany’s architecture being historically or civically significant. This mission is accomplished through advocacy, education, technical support, the operation of the Architectural Parts Warehouse and the Tool Lending Library.