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A Scottish Network for Share and Repair: What does it all mean?

A Scottish Network for Share and Repair: What does it all mean? Last year, during COP26, the Scottish Government made a very exciting announcement. They, alongside Zero Waste Scotland, were funding a national network to support the expansion of the number of sharing libraries (tool libraries, but also other things like musical instruments, toys, games,…

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Writing our Manifesto

We are very proud to finally share our brand new ETL manifesto with you; a joint effort between ETL’s volunteers and staff. We’re delighted with the end result, but even prouder of the journey we went on to get there. In the last 9 months volunteers and staff have come together over zooms to discuss…

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Tooligan sustainable gift guide

Here to inspire you: the 10 best sustainable gifting ideas of the Tooligan community! At the Tool Library we champion creative ideas that reuse old materials, that encourage a culture of sharing experiences and one that brings smiles on everyone’s faces. Giving something special doesn’t have to cost you much, and when gifting something unique…

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Mask making reflections

The end of October marks the end of our collaboration with Edinburgh Mask Makers, and we will be collecting in the collection boxes in Leith, Newington and Granton. It’s prompted me to reflect on the project, and think about the amazing things achieved in the darkest of times. March 2020 saw The Edinburgh Tool Library…

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Fiddler on the Roof

Another Edinburgh Tool Library member Anna, tells us about the pride she got from her van rebuild, the help she got from out Tooligans, and how her van allows her to be “in the landscape”. What do you love about being a van owner? The sense of freedom and independence it gives you is wonderful,…

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A Van After My Own Heart

In the last year or two, we have noticed more and more members using ETL tools to complete van refurbishments, escaping the city for trips across Scotland and beyond, so our intrepid volunteer, Lorenzo, decided to document some of the fantastic vans rebuild by our members. The results are pretty special places, and the doorway…

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The Never Failing Spring

By Dave Clancy These are strange times, even for the strange times we have all gotten used to living in. As I write, a significant proportion of the world is still under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an estimated 2.6 billion people living with some sort of restrictions to their daily lives. A…

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Tzipporah Johnston: Mask Crusader

Tzipporah Johnston is an embroiderer and mixed media textile artist based in Edinburgh, whose work explores aspects of her identity as an autistic woman and her fascination with the natural world. Her hand embroidery practice is slow and painstaking, and informed by meticulous research, with each carefully considered piece taking weeks or months to complete.…

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Alice in Farmland

Our third interview is with Alice Roettgen, one of our technicians at Custom Lane, who is using enforced downtime to connect with her new community in Gorgie, by helping out at the farm.  Alice has been with us since before Christmas, and quickly made a really positive difference with her infectious enthusiasm and willingness to…

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A vision of sharing in Scotland

There’s a lot happened at the Edinburgh Tool Library over the past couple years and thanks to our growing team, I am finally able to take a moment and get my thoughts together. First and foremost, I am incredibly proud of what ETL has become, and is continuing to be. Three years ago, my spare…

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Bench Mark

We have a new addition to the tool library.  Something that has a practical use to us, but also has great personal significance to me. It’s easy to think of tool donations as useful objects, given in aid of a good cause.  But what we often forget is that every one of these objects comes…

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Interview with Mo, member #69

Hi Mo, first of all, can you tell us a little bit about yourself Hello. I’m a self-employed joiner. I worked on sites previously but now trying to set up my own business. I’m born and raised in Edinburgh and live in Leith. …like all the best things in the city, you’re in Leith? Aye…! How…

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Dads Totally Rock

Forgive me reader, for I have sinned.  It’s been (many) months since my last post.  I’ve been doing all this awesome stuff with the Edinburgh Tool Library and I just haven’t had time to write to you.  I hope I still get through the Tooly Gates… What has finally driven me to dust off the…

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Planet Tool Library

One of the wonderful things about establishing the Edinburgh Tool Library has been speaking to the people of Edinburgh about all their hopes and aspirations for the tool library.  Something that I didn’t envisage was the support from overseas. In October last year I visited friends in Toronto, where I used to live.  Part of…

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Past, Present, Future

Over the last couple of weeks, through various channels, I have bumped into a lot of people who have been asking how the tool library is going and what the latest is.  I thought it was probably a good time to update the website to fill you all in on what has been happening, and…

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ESFMMF!!! – Bless you

On Sunday the 20th of April 2014 the Edinburgh Tool Library made it’s public debut to the creative hordes of Edinburgh (hordes in the nicest possible way – you were all lovely) at the Edinburgh Science Festival Mini Maker Faire (ESFMMF). Between our stall and a talk I gave in the Anatomy Room (… think…

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A night on the red carpet… almost

I never thought I could say this but I now have something in common with Matthew McConaughey, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leonardo DiCaprio. Well… sort of! This February, while they were nervously awaiting the result of Best Male category at the Oscars, I had been nervously awaiting news from OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator).…

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