Work study program with Tool Library promotes community engagement

Marti Byrne had never heard of a tool library, or worked with an expansive catalogue of tools, before taking part in UB’s Community Work Study Scholars program. Today, Byrne, a junior English major, can expertly discuss whether to use a circular or a reciprocating saw and what type of chisel is best for your next woodworking project.

Byrne, along with three other UB students, is part of the new Student Engagement work study program that has brought them to the Tool Library.

The Tool Library is a volunteer-led nonprofit that lends tools to community members, similar to a library lending books. Inspired by the concept of a sharing economy, UB alumnus Darren Cotton started the organization in 2011 in a building at 5 W. Northrup Place in University Heights, near the South Campus.

Student Engagement has worked with the Tool Library for years on such projects as tree plantings, Martin Luther KIng Jr. days of service and university tabling events. So it was an easy decision to partner with the Tool Library on the Community Work Study Scholars program, Student Engagement staff says.

“The Tool Library is one-of-a-kind in this area,” says Hannah Giarrizzo, LEAD coordinator of community and civic engagement in Student Engagement. “They brought this concept to Buffalo, so the community has access to tools they would need for their houses.

“We felt that because we had a longstanding relationship with them and for their proximity to the South Campus, it would be a great place to pilot this community work study program.”

Federal Work-Study Program guidelines require that 7% of a campus’ work study funds be awarded to students working in the community. The Student Engagement team hopes to use this resource to cement UB students as part of the Buffalo community.

“UB is its own bubble,” Giarrizzo explains. “It sometimes feels as if the university is not as integrated with the community. This experience allows students to have those one-on-one interactions and create personal relationships with community members.”

This is not the first program of its kind at UB. Influenced by a work study initiative with Say Yes Buffalo led by Graduate School of Education professor Nate Daun-Barnett, Rachel DiDomizio, assistant director of community and civic engagement in Student Engagement, developed the Community Work Study Scholars program, implementing it in fall 2022.

Students applied for the program on Handshake. After an interview process involving both the Student Engagement and the Tool Library teams, four students were selected.

Byrne, an aspiring librarian, cherishes their “tooligan” role, as the Tool Library crew call themselves.

“I am interested in being a librarian. That’s why I was interested in the job originally, more because of the library aspect and less because of the tool aspect,” says Byrne. “Learning how libraries work is beneficial to me. Just learning how to interact with the community, getting to know people and having regulars: That is what being a librarian is about.”

Byrne’s job at the Tool Library involves digitizing paper memberships and reforming tool catalogues — all while learning library structures and picking up community organization skills.

Byrne is not the only tooligan to apply their time at the organization toward their future pursuits. Petreen Thomas wants to learn the ins-and-outs of community outreach and build her network in hopes of starting a nonprofit of her own someday.

“My main goal has always been, how can I use design to create change in communities. We shape how communities are seen, especially the ones that are neglected the most,” says Thomas, who is pursuing dual master’s degrees in architecture and urban planning.

“I feel like I learn it a lot in class, how that works and how to go about without feeling like an outsider. The Tool Library is a good way for me to put what I am learning into practice and actually understand that there’s a way to create meaningful relationships and not feel like it’s awkward.”

The program is designed to be a mutually beneficial partnership. As students learn and grow, the Tool Library receives consistent help, even in the absence of volunteers.

“It is huge for the tool library to know that we always have at least one person in the shop,” says Lissa Rhodes, the only full-time employee at the Tool Library. “I know that I have support staff that I can call and ask if they’re available. ‘Do you have class right now? Could you come in later today?’ All of the students that are working for us are super flexible which has been great.”

DiDomizio is hopeful that Student Engagement will be able to grow the Community Work Study Scholars program to include more sites in the coming years.

“I think about the residents living in these areas that UB touches, for them to be able to walk into this site and be greeted by someone from the university,” says Giarrizzo. “It will help strengthen the relationships we have with these communities that are supporting our students, residentially and academically.”            

The students share the wish for a UB that is one with the Buffalo community.

“When moving to a new city to start school, it can be really overwhelming to find ways to get to know your new community,” notes tooligan Madeleine Sutton, a senior architecture major. “Participating in local nonprofit activities can provide a sense of ownership and belonging to a community. That is important as a college student.”