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Caitlin Dorward’s least favourite tool is a hammer. “It usually takes me seven tries to get the nail in,” she says, “and if it doesn’t bend or fall out, my thumb usually gets in the way.” Still, that didn’t discourage her from building a chicken coop in her backyard this past fall. When Dorward and her partner, Chris Diplock, set about the project, a hammer was about the only tool they owned. So they did what any household faced with a last minute dinner-time shortage of flour does— they borrowed from their downstairs neighbour.

Three months later, the couple is knee-deep in plans for a co-operative tool sharing program in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, aptly titled the Vancouver Tool Library. The idea is simple: tools are essential for household projects, but expensive to own. A cordless drill costs $250; mitre saws are twice that. Even renting can be pricey.

“I had never built anything before the coop,” Dorward says, “and I was [really] intimidated by tools.” But with a little patience and the help of a duffel-bag full of loaned equipment, she and Diplock now have a home for their hens. The couple subscribes to an emerging do-it-yourself zeitgeist that has seen the proliferation of places like bike repair co-ops, food and car shares, and community gardens in urban centers across Canada.

The Vancouver Tool Library steering committee is currently in the process of registering with the province as a non-profit co-operative. Like any co-op, the organization will be governed by a constitution and a governing board. Members wishing to join will have to buy a one-time initial share, which in the case of the VTL is $30. On top of that, Dorward and Diplock say there will be a nominal repair fee, somewhere in the ballpark of $10 per year, depending on the number of members they get. The VTL’s objective is to encourage everyone to “build it themselves,” regardless of income level.

The library will offer everything from shovels and skill saws to measuring tapes and ladders. Diplock hopes the community will be generous and donate their old or under-used tools in upcoming tool drives. The rest of the inventory will have to be purchased with money from grants and community-initiative funding about which Diplock is optimistic. “There’s lots of money out there, it’s just a matter of knowing where to look. We have a pretty low start-up capital compared to a lot of other projects — around $3,500 — and we think it’s a worthwhile, achievable figure. There’s also a lot of support from other Vancouver co-operatives, whose mission is to help fledgling co-ops.”

Tool libraries have been around for over thirty years in the United States but they’ve become increasingly popular in the last decade, especially in the American Northwest. The city of Portland, has three tool libraries including The North Portland Tool Library whose slogan is “Power Tools To The People.” In addition, the Santa Rosa Tool Library has more than 673 borrowers more than half of whom, are women.