Chicago Tool Library

One of our team’s goals this year was to get CPR and First Aid training 💪⛑️ Thanks to the amazing Raven from our whole crew is prepared for anything! So proud of our staff’s commitment to community care 💕

Great to see our Haunted Warehouse Party in this year's Halloween event round-up from Block Club Chicago!

Our fall fundraiser is a great way to enjoy the season and support Chicago's favorite tool library! Get a ticket at chicagotoollibrary.org/party

Your Ultimate Chicago Halloween Guide: 70+ Spooky Parades, Film Fests, Parties And More Make the most of your October with a plethora of Halloween-related events, from parties, brunches and parades to family fests to ghost tours.

👻Last year’s spooky shindig at the Tool Library was so much fun we’re bringing it back!

Come for an early eve party on 10/26 benefiting the Tool Library! Expect free tacos, free drinks, great music, tarot readings, spooky photo booths, and more! Mark your calendars and get your tickets early - you don’t want to miss this one!🌚

https://givebutter.com/halloween24

Chicago Tool Library in West Garfield Park saves residents millions in hardware rentals, purchases in first 4 years

❌We’ve never had to do this, but we are cancelling this Saturday’s Repair Fair!❌

See you at the next Fair in October!😘

👋Hey members of the Chicago Tool Library: want a (really good) chance to win $100?? Fill out our annual survey now!

This survey helps us get the data we need to apply for grants and make improvements to the library.

It takes about 5 minutes to complete: bit.ly/borrowdontbuy

The Tool Library is celebrating 5 years of service and now we need YOUR help! Check out our birthday campaign and consider sharing or chipping in to help us get tools to the people!

Chicago Tool Library's 5-Year Milestone Campaign The more we share, the more we have!

Building Community, One Tool at a Time The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, we work to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and unders...

💡There’s so much talent and expertise in our community: let’s share it!!

🛠️ Starting soon we will be hosting free, community-led demonstrations highlighting specific tools, skills, or projects. If you have expertise to share sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/ctlskills

🗓️ We’ll be announcing skillshare topics and dates soon.

🚨That’s right, the Chicago Tool Library is hiring!!🚨

We are looking to add another compassionate, capable Tool Librarian to our team.

Learn more about the job on our website here: https://www.chicagotoollibrary.org/jobs

🎉 🎉 Big news: the Chicago Tool Library is honored to be the winner of this year’s Creative Places Award from the MacArthur Foundation as a part of the LISC Chicago Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards!

Winning this competitive award is a testament to the power of our community’s collective creativity and effort. When we dedicate space for sharing, truly transformative things can happen.

This prestigious award will hopefully lead to fruitful connections and open new possibilities for growth. We were also awarded $15,000 which is such a big win for our little library’s budget! As a nonprofit with an unconventional concept, funding is our biggest barrier and it’s so crucial to find funders and donors who share our vision.

We couldn’t do this work without you, and we can’t wait to see what else this incredible community can accomplish!

#CNDA30 Winner: Chicago Tool Library In West Garfield Park, a former industrial warehouse now serves as a vibrant center for creative exchange, capacity building and community connection. The Ch...

💕It’s been one year since we hired these angels!! 👼 👼 Everyone who sees them at the front desk knows they’re THE BEST. Let’s celebrate Eian and Rachel’s work-a-versary with some new tools!!💕

Make a donation in honor of Eian and Rachel so we can get this fun stuff including a very important train set waffle maker for Eian! ❤️❤️ https://chicagotoollibrary.app.neoncrm.com/campaigns/eian-and-rachels-first-work-a-versary

Tool libraries really bring out the best in ourselves and our communities! Join the tool library today and do something wonderful!💕

Block Club Chicago says you should come to Lazy Gay Sunday at the Tool Library! this weekend!

30 Things To Do In Chicago This Weekend: Puerto Rican Fest, Blues Fest, Midsommarfest And More Pride events, Juneteenth celebrations and block parties are all on deck.

CTL exists thanks to the time, effort, and creativity of so many people – and a bunch of those people hung out at the beautiful for our first ever Community Celebration event!

It filled our hearts to honor and celebrate the many volunteers, members, donors, and staff who have made our work possible ❤️ We love you all!!

We were recently asked if a visitor could bring their kid to the Tool Library - the answer is a big YES, y’all!

The next generation of Tool Library members is always welcome to explore with their grown-ups, hang out, and play with our little section of toys and books. We might even have a special sticker stash just for kids 😎💕

🎉🌮👹Party vibes featuring artwork from the National Museum of Mexican Art –which one are you??

Don't forget to RSVP 🎟️ 👀 https://givebutter.com/toollibraryparty

The Tool Library needs your help adding to our inventory! We’re on the lookout for new or gently used:
• Projectors
• Cordless drills
• Cordless angle grinders
• Cordless nailers
• Cordless circular saws
• Oscillating multitools
• Impact drivers
• Lightweight sawhorse sets

Email [email protected] if you’ve got some beautiful tools to pass along OR be a true angel and buy a new one to donate! 😇🥹

The average cordless drill is used for less than 20 minutes in its lifetime. This is absolutely not the case for Tool Library drills which are borrowed hundreds of times for hundreds of projects.

Give a tool the life it deserves and send it to the Tool Library!

Repair Fairs continue to be one of the cutest, happiest, busiest events in Chicago! The line to check in broken items was out the door most of the day and we were bustling start-to-finish.

Thank you, as ever, to our amazing repair volunteers who assessed almost 100 items in 3 hours and to the curious, trusting visitors who hope to give their broken items a second life!

Next Repair Fair will be in June at an offsite location - date and location TBD! As always, check our website for a full list of upcoming events 🗓️

These events are a huge labor of love and are totally free to the community. We are always on the lookout for community-minded sponsors willing to help us support this program! Please email us at [email protected] about sponsoring one or many Repair Fairs!

Do love planning every detail of a perfect party and wish you could use your magic for a good cause? Join our Events Committee!

Visit chicagotoollibrary.org/volunteer to see how you can get involved with some of the best events in the city – we hope to hear from you!

Want to use your writing or researching skills to help the Tool Library reach new heights? Join our new Grants Committee!

Visit chicagotoollibrary.org/volunteer to see how you can make a big impact at our little organization – we hope to hear from you!