Press release: 11/22/2024
Contact: Barbara Wright
The Willimantic Public Library is having a busy fall, with two major efforts underway. One is a crowdfunding campaign to create a Tool Library. The other is revising the library’s strategic plan for the next 5 years.
What do these two efforts have in common? More than meets the eye! With the Tool Library, the library hopes to support renters and homeowners who want to make a repair or start a garden but lack the tools and budget – and maybe skills -- to do so. The strategic plan is looking at ways to provide more of this kind of practical support over the next 5 years.
Buying a tool cabinet and stocking it with tools will cost $8,500. Nancy Pettitt, president of the Friends of the Library, has received a matching grant from Sustainability CT (https://sustainablect.org/). If the Friends can raise $4,250, Sustainability CT with match that. The Garden Club of Windham, the Repair Cafe, and O.L. Willard Co. are all supporting Pettitt and the Friends. Workshops and training events around the use of the tools will also be planned and provided through the library.
To make a donation, go to Patronicity.com/WilliToolLibrary. The Friends have met their goal as of Jan 12, 2025 [update]. This is a grassroots effort, and small donations are welcome. In addition to the dollar goal, Sustainability CT has set a matching donor goal of contributors.
This project offers multiple benefits. Pettitt points out that in addition to acquiring new skills, “community members who borrow tools can save money, deal quickly with emergencies, and improve their quality of life. Those who donate equipment can support sustainability as they reduce the number of unused tools sitting in basements or garages. By sharing resources, everyone wins.”
For its strategic plan, meanwhile, the Library Board is collecting information about what kinds of activities and resources community members would like more of from the library. Under the guidance of board vice-chair Heidi Van Flatern, several hundred flyers have been distributed with a QR code that takes the user to a short questionnaire. Answers collected from the questionnaire will help the Board plan future library improvements.
In addition to distributing flyers, Library Board members have talked to folks at public gatherings like Third Thursday and the Downtown Country Fair about how they use the library and what additional resources they would like. Van Flatern points out that the Library already loans out baking pans and other kitchen equipment – perfect for the holidays. Residents are enthusiastic about getting more of this kind of practical help, in addition to the books, periodicals, databases, computers, kids’ events, and other resources the library already provides.
Along with Library Director Dan Paquette, Pettitt and Van Flatern encourage Chronicle readers, their friends, family, and neighbors, to donate to the Tool Library and contribute their suggestions to the Strategic Plan.
Barbara Wright
[Content updated july 2026]
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