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Posted by David Nebenzahl on May 5, 2008, 1:32 pm
On 5/5/2008 3:44 AM Bob spake thus:
> There was an article in Saturday's paper about our local library
> considering lending tools as well as books. It mentioned such
> things as cement mixers, saws, etc.
>
> At first, I thought it was an interesting idea, but on second
> thought I imagined how those tools could, and probably would, be
> abused by people who don't know how to use them or care for them, or
> just don't care.
>
> For example:
> "I didn't know you weren't supposed to cut tile with a skill saw".
> "I didn't realize there were nails in that old 2 X 4 - but the saw
> cut them pretty good".
> "Rain wasn't forecast, so I thought it would be okay to leave the
> miter saw outside since I was going to use it in the morning".
> "I thought I'd washed the concrete mixer pretty good - guess not".
> Etc - etc.
>
> Then there is the liability problem:
> "Your Honor, nobody showed me how to use that router well enough,
> and that's how I lost a finger, and why I am suing the city".
>
> The article said there are other libraries that loan tools. Is
> anyone aware of this practice and how it works in reality?
I'm a borrower at my local tool lending library, the Temescal Branch of
the Oakland Public Library. They've been lending a broad range of tools
for more than a decade now with none of the problems you've posed here.
They have everything from ordinary hand tools to gardening stuff to tile
saws to hammer drills, Sawzalls, post-hole diggers, grinders, routers,
you name it.
The staff is knowledgeable, but they will tell you that they don't know
everything about how to use every tool. That's why they also have a
large selection of how-to books there.
It works quite well, and everyone's happy with it.
--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute
conversation with the average voter.
- Attributed to Winston Churchill
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