The Guelph Tool Library has a new home.
The library, which provides a wide range of tools and items for public use, will be moving to a new location in side the Old Quebec Street Shoppes in Downtown Guelph soon.
Through a partnership with the Guelph Arts Council, the Tool Library received funds from the Emergency Community Support Fund from United Way Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin, allowing them to rent a storefront space.
The former home of the Guelph Tool Library, located inside Tytler Public School, has been closed since the start of the pandemic.
Members will be able to borrow tools again shortly, as the organization hopes to be up and running by Sept. 26.
Under the organization’s new COVID-19 protocols, members will be asked to schedule their loans and pickup times online, said Tool Library co-coordinator Stephanie Clarke.
Those interested in obtaining a membership at an introductory rate of $40 per year can do so online at guelphtoollibrary.org/
Current and recently expired members who lost time due to the closure will be offered a membership extension via email.
The Tool Library will also be offering a new series of online and in-person programs, including a variety of skills-building workshops, discussion sessions, and other demonstrations. These programs will be free or pay-what-you-can, and are being made possible by emergency support funding from the Canadian Red Cross.
“We’re so thankful to the United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin, and the Canadian Red Cross”, said Clarke. “Our members have been without the use of the tool library for 6 months, but we needed a space that was safe and accessible for providing our service. Our new location in the Old Quebec Street Shoppes will allow us to provide tools and resources to our community once again. We will be able to offer more hands-on programs now that our members and participants have a place to pick up supply kits, and we have a space that can host small groups or virtual workshops."
