The Lafayette Tool Library seeks to help those who may lack the tools for a DIY job.
Tool Library
Anyone who ever started a home maintenance project only to abandon it for lack of the right tools will appreciate the enthusiasm that has greeted the launch of the Lafayette Tool Library. Operating since October 2024 from a box trailer that sets up on Saturdays, the non-profit Tool Library lets Lafayette Parish residents borrow a wide variety of tools—from shovels to scroll saws—for free. All you need is a photo ID and proof of address. According to co-founder Anna Kojevnikov, efforts to establish a local tool library began in 2020, when extensive property damage left in the wake of Hurricane Laura revealed the extent to which Gulf Coast homeowners of moderate income were struggling with home maintenance and repair projects due to lack of access to tools. Eventually, using a combination of grant funding and private donations of funds and equipment, Kojevnikov and co-founder Allison Nederveld were able to purchase a Tool Library trailer, and outfit it with carefully curated selections of hand, power, garden, plumbing, flooring, and automotive tools. So, whether a homeowner needs something as general as a step ladder or as specific as a tile saw, the Tool Library can provide. With hundreds of tools available, the library has sorted many into project-specific kits, enabling a homeowner embarking on a flooring, painting, yard, or electrical project to borrow a kit containing everything they’ll need. Kojevnikov noted that much of the inventory has come from private donations. “A guy’s dad passed away and he didn’t know what to do with his tools,” she said. “He called us and donated thousands of dollars’ worth of tools.”
“We don’t want anyone to have to buy a tool for a project. The goal is to make home maintenance more within reach for more people.” —Allison Nederveld
While hundreds of free tool libraries operate in other parts of the country, Nederveld explained that challenges accessing liability insurance make them rare in South Louisiana—where the combination of frequent storms and a socioeconomic landscape that make the need especially great. “This is a mutual aid thing,” explained Nederveld, who also serves as board president. “In Lafayette, many of the houses aren’t owned by well-off people. We don’t want anyone to have to buy a tool for a project. The goal is to make home maintenance more within reach for more people.”
Currently, the Lafayette Tool Library opens every Saturday from 8 am–11 am at Habitat for Humanity’s Lafayette location, 1317 Surrey Street. Having outgrown the trailer, the initiative’s plans for 2025 include moving to a permanent space, increasing operating hours, and developing a series of community workshops to teach general maintenance. To learn more, donate tools, or support an ongoing capital campaign to finance the permanent location, visit lafayettetoollibrary.org.
