Become a Member
A Harrisburg Tool Library membership gives neighbors access to shared tools, workspace, and learning without the cost of buying everything yourself.
We use a sliding-scale membership model from $1–$250 per year.
Choose the amount that honestly fits your life.
What You Get
Membership includes:
- Borrow from our tool inventory
- 7-day loan periods, with one renewal on most tools
- No late fees — just bring it back
Full borrowing details are in the Borrowing Guide.
Why Membership Matters
A tool library is more than a room full of hammers, drills, and shovels. The Harrisburg Tool Library is shared, community infrastructure. We are built by neighbors, supported by members, and powered by volunteers.
Memberships help us maintain tools, replace broken parts, keep the space running, and make sure more people in Harrisburg at every income level can repair, build, garden, learn, and care for their homes.
When you join, you’re helping build a practical, community-rooted resource that makes everyday projects more possible for more people.
How Our Sliding Scale Works
Our annual membership rate is $1–$250 per year.
That range exists because people’s financial realities are different. For some neighbors, paying the full amount is manageable. For others, even a modest fee can create real hardship.
We ask each member to choose a number on the scale that reflects their current circumstances.
A helpful way to think about it:
- If paying more would be a stretch, but wouldn’t harm your ability to meet basic needs, that may be a sacrifice.
- If paying more would mean not being able to cover essentials like housing, food, transportation, or health care, that’s hardship.
If you’re able to pay more, your membership helps make lower-cost memberships possible.
That’s how a sliding scale works best: with honesty, trust, and care for one another.
This image and framework was originally created by Alexis J. Cunningfolk | www.wortsandcunning.com with additions from Britt Hawthorne | www.embracingequity.org
Where Do I Fall On the Scale?
$150–$250/year
$150–$250/year
$150–$250/year
Pay-it-forward / sustaining level
This level is for members who are generally able to meet their basic needs, have some financial flexibility, and can help support wider community access.
You might choose this amount if:
- you can comfortably cover essentials
- you have some savings or financial cushion
- you can usually absorb surprise expenses
- payi
Pay-it-forward / sustaining level
This level is for members who are generally able to meet their basic needs, have some financial flexibility, and can help support wider community access.
You might choose this amount if:
- you can comfortably cover essentials
- you have some savings or financial cushion
- you can usually absorb surprise expenses
- paying at the higher end would not create hardship
For context: $250/year is about $21/month — roughly the cost of a premium streaming subscription, or about two lower-cost monthly subscriptions.
Choosing this level helps keep the library sustainable and expands access for others.
$35–$150/year
$150–$250/year
$150–$250/year
Standard level
This level is for members who can usually meet their needs, but need to be thoughtful about spending and may not have much margin.
You might choose this amount if:
- you meet your needs, though money can feel tight
- you may carry debt or be rebuilding savings
- you have some room in your budget, but not a lot
- paying the very top of th
Standard level
This level is for members who can usually meet their needs, but need to be thoughtful about spending and may not have much margin.
You might choose this amount if:
- you meet your needs, though money can feel tight
- you may carry debt or be rebuilding savings
- you have some room in your budget, but not a lot
- paying the very top of the scale would feel difficult, but not harmful
For context: $120/year is $10/month — about the cost of many common monthly streaming subscriptions.
$1–$34/year
$150–$250/year
$1–$34/year
Community access level
This level is for members who are dealing with real financial constraint or hardship. You might choose this amount if:
- paying more would interfere with basic needs
- you’re living paycheck to paycheck
- you have little or no savings
- money stress is frequent and ongoing
- you need access to tools, but a higher fee would be a bar
Community access level
This level is for members who are dealing with real financial constraint or hardship. You might choose this amount if:
- paying more would interfere with basic needs
- you’re living paycheck to paycheck
- you have little or no savings
- money stress is frequent and ongoing
- you need access to tools, but a higher fee would be a barrier
For context: even $25/year works out to just over $2/month, and $50/year is about $4/month — about the cost of 1 cup of coffee per month.
You belong here if this is where you belong. This library is for you.
What Your Membership Supports
Your membership helps make all of this possible:
- shared access to tools
- tool maintenance and replacement
- future programming, skill-building, and community events
- a more affordable way to repair, build, and care for home and neighborhood
- a library that stays rooted in access, trust, and long-term sustainability
A Note on Trust
We will not ask you to prove your income.
We trust our members to choose the level that honestly reflects their reality.
Still have questions?
Please reach us at info@hbgtoollibrary.com. We'd love to chat. We have a small team, so it may take a few days for us to get back to you.
Copyright © 2025 HBG Tool Library - All Rights Reserved.
Harrisburg Tool Library is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization| EIN 99-4125359
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Harrisburg Tool Library
1314A N 3rd St, Harrisburg PA 17102
info@hbgtoollibrary.com
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