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Reader has the Berkeley Tool Library blues 

Editor: 

The Berkeley Tool Library has been a glowing institution for years — the free use of tools to Berkeley residents with expert advice on how to use them and sometimes even on how to undertake a project altogether. The tool librarians have been efficient, helpful and friendly.  

And what is their reward? 

Pete, the founder of the tool library, is now retiring, apparently as little appreciated by the library administrators as he has been much appreciated by us tool borrowers. And Adam and Mikem Pete’s overqualified colleagues, apparently can look forward to more than half-time work even after Pete leaves. Another colleague, Candida, can look forward to less than half-time work with no benefits.  

As Peter leaves, Adam, Mike and Candida should get more hours, and corresponding benefits, along with the responsibility to manage the tool library. That’s the least deserved by these good employees and by us grateful taxpayers. 

Instead, what seems to be coming is the creation of a tool library manager position to be filled by someone who doesn’t even need to know tools. So the self-starting, self-sufficient employees are to face the lines of us tool borrowers with a supervisor instead of a fellow tool expert, with nothing to supervise and everything to learn, just a burden on the tool librarians and on those in line. 

Cut the nonsense! Leave the tool library in the capable hands of its expert employees! Give them the responsibility and watch this successful institution remain successful.  

Allen Dull 

Berkeley