Did you ever notice you can never find a butt marker when you need one? That's when a tool library comes in handy. A tool library is a "collection of tools which is maintained for use by members of the library. Much like the traditional library, the tool library differs in that it lends out tools instead of books. Library members may be required to pay a small subscription fee in order to have access to the tools, although some communities provide access as a public service. A tool lending program can be an extremely useful community asset, and many communities from small to large have a tool library of some sort."

"Our consumer society is predicated around us owning all this 'stuff'," writes Warren McLaren at TreeHugger.com. "When really what we want is not so much to own it, but to use it. Libraries are perfect examples of this. We read books without having to buy them. Community toy libraries, which we have noted, provide the same delightful function. Little Johnny tires of that train set, so you swap it for a box of Lego. A tool library is no different. For those rare times when you need a ladder, rubber plunger or circular saw you just borrow it from the library. In some places there's a nominal change, whilst in others the service is free."

Find a tool library near you.