BELOVED COMMUNITY, the ICAN DIY team is approaching its third year of laying the foundations for a tool library and makerspace on Quadra. We are inspired, motivated and encouraged in this pursuit and are preparing to take some big steps this year. More about that in a moment.
Firstly, to all who participated in our online fundraiser auction in December…THANK YOU! Your donations of auction items and of dollars was significant, amounting to over $3,400 towards QUILT events and facilities! Even more significant were the demonstrations of support for the cause, of confidence in our team to carry it through and the need our community has for such an organisation.
The big news is that The Quadra Island Library of Things has been offered a central location in Quathiaski Cove! There we aim to build humble, inspiring and accessible infrastructure for an outdoor, covered multi-functional community space (can be used for workshops and performances) and an adjacent Tool-Lending Shed + storage. It will take some time before we are able to begin construction of these physical facilities; we will keep the community informed of developments and indeed put calls out for materials and volunteers when it’s a go..
In the meantime, we are continuing to pursue our goals of tool sharing, tool repairing and tool+safety instruction in creative ways.
Tool-sharing was an early and abiding motivation for the members of the DIY team. The tools and equipment of rural life for many of us are multitudinous and in the face of climate change, their use in maintenance and adaptation may be being made more urgent. We thus feel motivated to develop an introductory tool-sharing cooperative that is at first decentralised, so that we can establish a first-stage network and inventory for sharing in advance of our facilities being built.
The concept is that we will begin registration of donors/borrowers into a cooperative with a by donation membership fee. Tools that are up for donation to the QUILT facility will be officially vetted, registered, and branded (with tax receipts provided in exchange if requested) but remain in the “possession” of willing donors. These tools will be picked up (safely upon agreement of the parties) and dropped off to these temporary “home” locations. The QUILT has acquired software called MyTurn, which is designed for lending/circular economy projects. Our inventory of tools, their availability status and whereabouts will be accessible online through MyTurn, and available to members. Inventory that is damaged or has consumable parts will be serviced with membership fees and ideally by volunteers. Accountability and safety are central to the QUILT’s vision. The details of accountability and safety protocols will be elaborated on in the donor/member agreement.
To gather our community and inventory, the DIY team has revamped the QUILT Survey that we previously released in 2019. You will find a copy of the 2022 QUILT Survey in your mailbox and online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeunGqe6Ay_yjjU0Vx6ag0nWbvwLeeSHpK0EaEQQpMb7B2QUg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0.
Paper copies of the survey can be picked up and dropped off at Inspirations. This updated survey is intended to gauge interest in the decentralized model of tool-sharing, the current needs and offerings within the community, as well as to inform future events. Your participation is important as we wish for the QUILT facilities to be accessible and functional for all who wish to become members. Please also include any other comments or suggestions that you feel may inform our goals and development. Please complete surveys by March 31st.
We aim to host another Garden Tool Repair Cafe in April and our first entry-level tool-use workshop this summer. Participation in events is not membership based; events will remain open and by donation.
In order to grow, we need help. If you have a desire to participate, skills to offer and time to lend to the development of the QUILT and its facilities, we’d love you to join the team! Please reach out to quadraislandlibraryofthings@gmail.com with any questions or offerings.
Thanks again, beloved community. May we continue to learn, grow and support each other to become the change that our flourishing and our planet requires of us.