Tool library nails community-first service

ABOUT 600 members five years on is the result of how one Ballarat volunteer service has made an impact on an entire community.

The Ballarat Tool Library is celebrating its fifth birthday this year, a milestone which organising committee member Henry Singleton said showed the true power of how a group of dedicated volunteers could make a difference.

Mr Singleton said the library supported people from a range of backgrounds to hire and learn about equipment without the excessive financial burden of having to buy them.

“I see it very much as a community collectivism type institution, which we just have fewer and fewer of these days,” he said.

“So I think it’s important that we have that and that we can offer this kind of thing, especially to people who really do need it.”

In the half decade sisters Angela Molloy and Nicole Elliott first explored the concept and made a call out for volunteers, the Barkly Street service enjoyed a high retention of workers and members who, after paying an annual fee, can borrow an array of tools for their varying needs.

On any given Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday when the library is open, in between opened packs of biscuits and laughter, volunteers are found busy preparing community-donated tools for hire.

Members then arrive to rent out whatever tools they need. They ask for advice on what equipment’s best to use. Many end up just having a chat. Some use the library often enough they become regulars who form connections with volunteers.

Such an accessible, welcoming atmosphere is one of the library’s key attributes, Mr Singleton said.

“It’s not quite a store, but it’s not quite a club or anything either,” he said. “It’s an interesting middle ground.

“Socially like I’ve been involved in a few volunteer organisations in the past, and this has by far been like just consistently the most positive.”

Mr Henderson said volunteers were the library’s lifeblood, and that a recent recruitment drive had brought many members to the other side of the service counter.

“Our most valuable asset and the thing that we’ll need to keep ensuring we have a good supply of and keeping people happy is the volunteers,” he said. “They do so much.”

To celebrate the milestone, the library is hoping to host events this year along with its regular garage sales off the Barkly Street car park.

More information about the library and its garage sales at ballarattoollibrary.org.