READER’S DIGEST
May• 2019 | 29public use of shared
resources.
While not the first of
its kind in the world, the
Brisbane Tool Library is
the first in Australia to
be housed inside a pub-
lic space – at the State
Library of Queensland.
For Sabrina, the library
was the ideal fit. “When
I approached them with
the idea, they loved it,” she says. “More
than just borrowing, the tool library
has evolved into a hub for sharing
skills and keeping the local commu-
nity strong and thriving.”
Sabrina’s plan for action is having
an effect at ground level, too. While
it first attracted people looking to do
things cheaply, it wasn’t long before
the sustainability message trickled
down. “Once they could see the big-
ger picture of what the tool library was
trying to achieve, mem-
bers could see their own
impact on the environ-
ment and in the com-
munity,” she explains.
“It really has brought
people together in un-
expected ways.”
As such, it’s not just
an environmental pro-
ject but a social enter-
prise as well. Sabrina’s
next step is to create an income for her
many volunteers. The popularity of
the tool library means she’s in a spe-
cial position to create meaningful jobs
in society and in turn help other com-
munities to do the same. She’s
inspired people in other areas who are
interested in starting libraries in their
own community.MR ROBOT AT YOUR SERVICE
A café in Budapest, Hungary, is using robots to serve
customers. Robot waiters deliver food and drink orders while
others provide entertainment, hold a conversation or dance
with customers. Opened by an IT company, the aim of the
café is to help familiarise the public with the technological
revolution in automation and artificial intelligence.
Despite fears that increasing automation will take
employment away from humans, the owners say the café
actually employs twice as many people as before, as it needs
a team of IT specialists to operate the 20 robots.
REUTERSThe library has
evolved into a
hub for sharing
skills and
keeping the local
community
strongGo to http://www.brisbanetoollibrary.org
or facebook.com/brisbanetoollibrary
for more information.