YOU’RE WATCHING WLKY NEWS. A SEWING MACHINE OR EVEN A LAWN MOWER, BUT DON’T WANT TO BUY ONE. IN TONIGHT’S PROJECT COMMUNITY STORY, WE GO INSIDE A LOUISVILLE NONPROFIT SET UP JUST LIKE A REGULAR BOOK LIBRARY, BUT FOR HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK WE CAME UP WITH THE CONCEPT, BUT LIBRARIES HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE END OF WORLD WAR TWO. DECADES LATER, AND TOOL LIBRARIES ARE STILL GOING STRONG. THEY OPERATE JUST LIKE TRADITIONAL LIBRARIES, JUST WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS LIKE POWER TOOLS, SEWING MACHINES, AND EVEN CAMPING GEAR. THE LOUISVILLE TOOL LIBRARY OPENED IN THE SUMMER OF 2022. EVERYTHING IN THE SPACE HAS BEEN DONATED. ALL OF THE SHELVING, OUR LIGHTS, OUR COMPUTERS. UNLIKE A LIBRARY, VOLUNTEER SHELBY RODEFER SAYS THERE IS A MEMBERSHIP FEE, BUT IT’S SET UP SO EVERYONE MAY QUALIFY. THEY’RE SUSTAINED BY MEMBERSHIP FEES THAT ARE SLIDING SCALE. SO IF YOU WERE TO SIGN UP, YOU COULD PAY A MINIMUM OF $20 FOR A YEAR, OR YOU COULD PAY 0.1% OF YOUR INCOME. INSIDE, YOU’LL FIND FAR MORE THAN JUST SAWS AND DRILLS. THREE MAIN AREAS HOME, OUTDOOR, AND TRADITIONAL TOOLS, ALONG WITH A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING ELSE. WE’VE GOT THINGS LIKE LABEL MAKERS, LAMINATORS. AMPS, TURNTABLES, CASSETTE PLAYERS. THIS IS A WALL OF KITS, SO IF YOU WANTED TO GET INTO ROCK TUMBLING OR TAKING WINE BOTTLES AND TURNING THEM INTO GLASSES, WE’VE GOT SOME KITS FOR THINGS LIKE THAT. KITCHEN APPLIANCES. THE IDEA STARTED WITH A SIMPLE GOAL SHARING RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY IN NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE SPACE IS LIMITED. IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, IT’S A LOT OF SHOTGUN HOMES WITHOUT GARAGES, AND YOU STILL HAVE A YARD, BUT IT MIGHT ONLY BE TEN FEET WIDE. AND IT DOESN’T REALLY MAKE SENSE TO OWN A LAWN MOWER. LIKE, DO YOU KEEP THAT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM OR WHERE DOES IT GO? SO THIS WAY EVERYONE OWNS A LAWN MOWER. TOGETHER, WE’RE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UPKEEP OF IT THROUGH OUR MEMBERSHIP FEES AND THROUGH TAKING CARE OF THINGS WHILE YOU HAVE THEM BORROWED. THE LIBRARY HAS ABOUT 2500 DONATED ITEMS AND GROWING, WITH NEARLY 400 ACTIVE MEMBERS IN A NETWORK OF ABOUT 80 VOLUNTEERS. SHELBY SAYS BEYOND SAVING MONEY, THE TOOL LIBRARY IS ALSO ABOUT EDUCATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND BUILDING COMMUNITY. THIS SPACE IS MEANT FOR YOU TO TRY SOMETHING OUT, SEE IF IT’S A GOOD FIT FOR YOU. EXPLORE LIKE THERE’S NO RISK IN PUTTING SOME SEEDS IN THE GROUND AND NOTHING HAPPENING, BUT THERE’S A LOT TO GAIN BY TRYING THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND MAYBE. AND THE LOUISVILLE TOOL LIBRARY IS OPEN WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, 5 TO 7 AND 11 TO 3 ON SATURDAYS. AND THEY’RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING HOW TO BECOME A