Acerca de Asheville Tool Library
Our mission is to provide low-cost access to a wide range of tools and knowledge to the community of Western North Carolina and surrounding regions.
Our Vision at The Asheville Tool Library is to empower individuals and the community at large through resources that encourage sustainability, rehabilitation, creativity, entrepreneurship, livability, and community development throughout Western NC and surrounding regions. The Asheville Tool Library will directly address the issue of socio-economic inequality that exists in Western NC by providing low/no-cost access to tools, education, and other resources to all members of our community.
Our Team
The Asheville Tool Library is staffed by four coordinators who work collaboratively across all areas of the organization. Each coordinator holds a primary area of focus while also sharing responsibility for admin, systems, and community building.
The Library Coordinator
Keeps the library running day to day. Responsibilities include managing tool inventory, donations, and tool buying; overseeing member communications around reservations and overdue tools; and coordinating and supporting librarian volunteers.
The Workshop Coordinator
Leads the AvlTL’s educational programming. Responsibilities include coordinating workshops, supporting working groups focused on skill-sharing and education, and facilitating volunteer-led programming.
The Maintenance Coordinator
Keeps the tools and space in good shape. Responsibilities include coordinating tool maintenance, focusing on broken or missing tools, supporting the firewood program, and facilitating the maintenance working group.
The Operations Coordinator
Holds the big picture. Responsibilities include volunteer coordination, onboarding, and appreciation; large-scale member communications; events, fundraising, and community outreach; and overall organizational systems and decision-making accountability.
Keenan Phillips, our Board Treasurer, is an experienced tinkerer, mechanic, and builder, pictured in front of the 5th small home he’s built in the Burnsville, NC area. He is most excited about bringing more education and learning opportunities around building to the amazing community resource that is the Asheville Tool Library.
Elli, our Board Secretary, has been a volunteer at the tool library since moving to the area in 2023. As an environmental scientist, she is a data manager, wetland walker, and scientific diver. She loves being a part of the tool library, but the other things that keep her busy include her garden, hiking, house and boat renos, and food preservation.
Brian Warshawsky, our President & Board Chair, was formerly the CEO and co-founder of Fenix/ENGIE energy access, an Africa focused energy company that has brought solar electrification to 12m+ Africans across 9 countries. Brian is an engineer and long time DIY maker who has been volunteering at the tool library since moving to Asheville in 2023. Brian grew up in Minnesota, lived in and around San Francisco for 20 years & spent a bunch of time in Africa and France before moving to Asheville. Brian enjoys exploring the mountains by bike or on foot with his dog Ribo.
Nuestra historia
Seguimos trabajando duro para servir a nuestra comunidad y crear un ejemplo próspero de la economía colaborativa que esperamos nos sobreviva a todos. A través del trabajo diligente de nuestra Mesa Directiva y voluntarios actuales, Asheville Tool Library se ha convertido en un gran aparte para hacer que nuestra ciudad sea más sustentable e ingeniosa.
2013 - Conceptualización
La biblioteca de herramientas de Asheville fue conceptualizada por Nick Letts, Julian Dominic y Tom Llewellyn. Pasaron los siguientes dos años y medio construyendo el apoyo de la comunidad y el respaldo financiero para comenzar a pasar del concepto a una biblioteca de herramientas de la vida real.
2016 - Gran Apertura
Después de que los tres fundadores originales se mudaron de Asheville, Ben Harper y Kara Sweeney lograron la apertura de nuestra primera ubicación en 133 Church St.
2018 - Putting Down Roots
We established our own non-profit and expanded to a 1100 sq. ft. space. The next several years were spent building up our inventory of over 2000 tools which are available to hundreds of members.
2022 - Growth!
We hired our Library Manager - our first employee - in 2021. After we found out our building was being redeveloped, we found a 2000 sq. ft. space, doubling our footprint and providing room for the maintenance team to grow. We initiated our first major collaboration with the Repair Cafe and will now be hosting their regular tool repair workshops.
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