In the spirit of reducing waste and providing service to the community, the Blue Hill Public Library hosts a monthly “Fixit Clinic” on the first Saturday of the month, with the next one scheduled for Saturday, December 1st from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. The idea is that local experts will coach people in the community to disassemble and troubleshoot a variety of items, such as appliances, bicycles, jewelry, clothing, toys, electronics and, well, whatever.
The library’s first Fixit Clinic, which met at the beginning of November, was a huge success, with all items except for one either repaired or diagnosed and pending repair. With everything from antique lamps to old radios to a kitchen mixer, there was an eclectic bunch of items. The can-do attitude of both the volunteer coaches and the participants made the process fun and engaging, all while learning new skills!
Participants are expected to actively participate in the disassembly, troubleshooting, and repair of their items so that they can leave fully empowered to share new-found skills and insights with friends, neighbors, and the community at large. Repair is not assured: while coaches will do their best to help, any specific item can have issues that make it unrepairable or efforts can exacerbate the problem during attempts to repair it.
Participants are asked to register via the library’s web calendar at www.bhpl.net so that the library can try to have the right experts on hand. The clinic is on a drop in basis—so participants can arrive anytime between 2:00 and 4:00 PM. Anyone interested in participating as a coach may contact the library at 374-5515 or email hannah.cyrus@bhpl.net.
