OUR STORY

Bridget Kennedy has been interested in the share economy for a while. She’s thought about starting a tool library for many years, the impetus being when she needed some power-operated gardening tools to do a bit of work in her new garden. She borrowed some tools from neighbours but realised that most people in the street had multiple versions of the same tools.  While borrowing tools was a great way to meet her new neighbours, it just didn’t seem to make sense on so many levels for most households in the area to have the same tools. In 2020, she decided to make her idea a reality. She visited Make-Do in Wollongong, and spoke to other tool libraries. She reached out to the local community to see if there was interest and put a proposal together to a supportive council….and here we are.

Our Team

bridget kennedy the sydney library of things

Bridget Kennedy

Instigator & Co-Founder

Bridget is the director of Bridget Kennedy Project Space, a founding member of Repair Cafe Sydney North and the instigator of the Sydney Edible Garden Trail, a community not-for-profit event run across 14 council areas. A committed and passionate advocate of permaculture for people and the environment, Bridget devotes her time to initiatives that foster community connection.

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Carol Skyring

President & Co-Founder

Carol has spent a lifetime as an educator – as a teacher, trainer and academic. Carol is an advocate of permaculture and from 2014 – 2020 lived as self-sufficiently and sustainably as possible in rural QLD. She’s continued her passion for sustainability with studies in a Diploma of Sustainable Living and by giving her time to projects such as her local community garden, the Sydney Edible Garden Trail and now The Sydney Library of Things.

Jacky Barker

Jacky Barker

Co-Founder

Jacky is passionate about community. With a background in Law, she’s found her calling as the creator of the hyper-local media enterprise, In The Cove, the go to place for local Lane Cove News. She’s a naturally curious person, interested in others and determined to make the world a better place.

Our Front Desk Volunteers

These are the friendly faces you’ll see when you pick up or drop back your items.

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Colum

Front Desk

As someone who will routinely pick up discarded bolts, nuts and washers from the ground because they hate to see useful things being wasted, I was greatly cheered by the existence and ethos of The Sydney Library of Things. I gladly volunteer my time and support to this project in the hope that we can help and inspire our community, reduce waste and encourage a more sustainable sharing economy.

Fay

Fay

Front Desk

Fay is a volunteer because she knows it’s everyone’s responsibility to keep “things” out of landfill and other waste disposal schemes. She is passionate about the care and health of the environment and wants to support all initiatives that share that aim. Volunteering is a good way to achieve that, working with like-minded others and connecting with the community.

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Helen

Front Desk and Librarian

I have been looking for an opportunity to volunteer in the local community and The Sydney  Library of Things ticks so many boxes.

As a retired librarian with an interest in minimising our footprints in life, I look forward to contributing to this most exciting venture. Come on down and say hello! 

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Imelda

Front Desk
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Jane

Front Desk
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Jackie

Front Desk and
Membership Coordinator

Jackie is keen to reduce waste and improve the amenity of our environment. By volunteering with the library she is hoping to make a small contribution to the bigger task of creating a more sustainable city. 

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Lisa

Front Desk

I try to tread lightly on our planet and live my life as sustainably as I can.  I am also a member of Share Waste, helping people dispose of their organic waste in a sustainable way by adding it to my compost bins and worm farms.

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Louise

Front Desk

I am delighted at the opportunity to volunteer with the Sydney Library of Things. I am an avid recycler often rescuing items from council clean up to advertise on freecycle. The concept of being able to borrow items that you may only need occasionally is fantastic and I am excited to see it grow.

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Michele

Front Desk
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Pow

Front Desk

Pow is a big believer in sustainable living and the sharing economy.  When she bought a house with a garden a few years ago, she had to invest a considerable amount of money to buy appliances and tools.  At the time, she wondered why there wasn’t a community shed where one could borrow appliances and tools that are only needed a few times a year.  Recently she moved to North Sydney and was excited to find The Sydney Library of Things.  With a background in accounting and finance process improvement, she is keen to help and support this great initiative. 

Suzanne

Suzanne

Front Desk

I am a big fan of the share economy and was so happy to hear about The Sydney Library of Things when it first started. I am a librarian working in North Sydney. I love that I am able to volunteer in a space that is local and matches my sustainable ethos.

Tim

Tim

Front Desk and
Repair & Maintenance

Tim loves the idea of a Library of Things. What a great project for a volunteer who likes fixing stuff and helping the community.

Our Organising Team

These are the volunteers who organise specific areas of TSLoT.

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Alice

Treasurer

Alice is a sustainable investment professional, with a strong interest in enabling a circular economy. Alice joined the library to help enable society to address the myriad of problems created by a linear economy or ‘take, make, dispose’ approach.

Amelia

Amelia

Minutes Secretary

I was delighted to hear someone had set up a Library of Things. What a great way to help our community to recycle, save money and storage space! Having the chance to borrow useful items from a local place in our community gives us a chance to be a little more sustainable and connect with others. I wanted to be of some assistance in helping this type of organisation grow and thrive in our neighbourhood.

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Anke

Catalogue & Website Maintenance

I am excited to be a part of this. TSLoT is a great way to take local action for sustainability. I love to help.

Erica

Erica

Social Media

I chose to be involved with The Sydney Library of Things because it will allow me to be a part of a movement that supports sustainability, as well as promoting and encouraging community connection. The last couple of years felt apocalyptic at times and I became more aware of how greedy and selfish people can be, and the effect this greed has on each other and on the environment we live in.

Jacqui

Jacqui

Social Media

When I first heard of a library of ‘things’ I was fascinated with the concept and am now so happy to be joining this team to work on social media.  
I love working in community and helping build connections.  To do this with a group focussed on waste reduction and sustainability, is a true honour.

Naomi

Naomi

Volunteer Coordinator

A local to the area, with many years’ experience supporting community organisations, Naomi has joined TSLoT to help with the rostering of enthusiastic volunteers. Excited to be part of this new library, Naomi sees it is as the dream backshed – containing everything you never knew you needed but now can’t wait to get your hands on.

Rachel

Rachel

Donations Coordinator

I’ve always worked with sustainability and community communication. And I am passionate about ideas that improve communities’ abilities to be more connected and live more collaboratively. It benefits the world and the individuals. The Library of Things can trigger new mindsets, and it invites people to think and do things differently. Let’s do it!

Stu

Stu

Fund Raising Coordinator

My wife and I have always been interested in sustainability and the environment so we volunteered for the Library of Things. I have some experience with raising funds so I’m delighted to help get this very worthwhile cause up to its full potential and do my bit to save the planet.

We also thank our past-volunteers. For all the little and big ways you've pitched in.... thanks!

Michaela – Social Media Coordinator,  Sandra – Graphic Designer,  Adam – IT, Andrew – Tag and Tester, Lorelie – PR & Marketing & Frontdesk

Special thanks for the support of the following volunteers who helped guide this project in it's early stages from an idea into reality.

Sandra, Jordan, Heather, Tali, Rebecca and Anke.