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Community members repair clothing on sewing machines at the Miller Branch of HCLS.

Fix it at the Repair Café

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A volunteer fixer teaches community members about tool repair.

By Erica C.

Saturday, November 8 | 1 – 4 pm 
HCLS Miller Branch  

Does your shirt have a hole? Is your lamp broken? Does something on your bike need to be repaired? Instead of throwing away your broken items, bring them to a Repair Café at the library to be fixed!  

Repair Cafés are free events that are all about repairing broken household items. Our community of fixers with repair skills in all kinds of fields volunteer to bring broken items back to life and will demonstrate how it is done. Be a part of a worldwide movement to preserve repair skills and promote sustainability!  

We live in a world of consumption, leading to an incredible amount of waste collectively. By learning invaluable repair skills, we can shift from a community that is wasteful to a community that is sustainable. Things can be used for longer and won’t have to be sent to the landfill. This leads to less raw material usage and energy consumption than is required to manufacture new products. And overall, less junk! 

Reduce waste, save money, build new skills, and help us foster community and a sense of shared learning.

The most common items the Repair Café can repair are lamps, vacuums, clocks, kitchen appliances (blender / toaster / stand mixer / etc.), and small clothing mends. Other categories of repairs include furniture, jewelry, power tools, small electric appliances, toys, and tool sharpening.  

Community members repair clothing on sewing machines at the Miller Branch of HCLS.

Do you have repair skills in a particular category and want to volunteer at an upcoming event? You do not have to be an expert! You can be paired with someone who is more experienced. Email transitionhoco@gmail.com to inquire.

To ensure we have the right supplies and volunteers available to fix your item, please submit what you plan to bring to the event here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/bfd9ac7d234447138eeb75df4e95a8c8 

Erica C. is in her dream role as the Enchanted Garden Instructor at HCLS Miller Branch. When she’s not tending to the garden, you can find her cycling along the C & O Canal, experimenting with new recipes from around the world, or curled up with tea and a good read.

Photo of a bee hovering above purple flowers.

For Earth Day: Try It Before You Buy It

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Photo of a bee hovering above purple flowers.
The Enchanted Garden at HCLS Miller Branch.

By Jean B.

Earth Day (April 22) challenges us to find new ways to protect and preserve our planet. No doubt you’ve heard the mantra “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” The 3 R’s are all important strategies but REDUCE comes first for a reason: waste prevention is the number one priority to protect the Earth. The less we consume, the fewer things that need to be reused or recycled. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces almost five pounds of waste every day, and a family more than 18 pounds, adding up to almost a ton of garbage annually.

If you want to shrink your footprint and reduce waste, libraries can help. Clearly, by borrowing books instead of buying them, we reduce the number of books in garbage heaps or recycling bins. This Earth Day, lighten your load. Before you buy, TRY IT at the library!

Video games: Don’t gamble on buying a game that may not have staying power. Borrow games from the Library and take them for a test drive before you buy.

Toys: Have your children mastered all the puzzles at home, or outgrown the toys from their last birthday? Surprise them with free toys borrowed from the Library. Play with them for three weeks, then trade them for a whole new bunch!

DIY Tools: Don’t buy something you’ll only use for one project – come to our DIY Center. Whether you need an aerator for your lawn, a pressure washer for your deck, or a special Mickey Mouse cake pan for a birthday, you can borrow it the Elkridge Branch DIY Center.

Artwork: Spice up your home or office walls with artwork borrowed from our Central and Glenwood branches. You can trade it out every six weeks – a waste-free wonder of redecorating!

Building a Better Garden with Less Effort
For adults. Register here.
Establishing a vegetable garden can require a lot of time and money and yield minimal results. Learn how you can establish a productive vegetable plot with less effort than you are currently expending.
Tue, Apr 25 | 7 – 8 pm
Miller Branch

Gardening for the Budget–Minded Kitchen
For adults.
While some veggies are already affordable at the grocery store or farmer’s market and might not be worth the effort to grow (hello onions!), you can easily grow other kitchen staples at home to save money. Find out what they are and discover other money-saving cooking tips.

Wed, Apr 26 | 7 – 8 pm | Savage Branch | Register here.

Thu, Apr 27 | 7 – 8 pm | Online | Register here.

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch who loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.