UBC Library will be hosting a Repair Café on the Main Floor of Woodward Library on February 13, as part of Climate Emergency Week at UBC. This drop-in event invites participants to try their hand at sewing and darning to keep much-loved textiles out of the landfill.
The library’s first Repair Café was held in November 2024 during Climate Action Week and funded in part by a UBC Inspiring Community Grant. Building on that success, this second event will include stations for sewing, darning, and reusable beeswax wrap making, with textile experts on-hand to assist participants, and free refreshments to complete the café vibe.
Rachael Bradshaw, Reference Librarian at Woodward Library, heads up the organizing team, which includes Reference Librarians Edlyn Lim and Helen Brown, student librarian Joy Ehighalua, and Sally Taylor, Head of Woodward Library.
While repair cafés are not new to Vancouver, this event was a first for UBC Library, and Bradshaw credits Dr. Michelle Kaczmarek, Program Manager at the Share Reuse Repair Initiative, for sparking her interest in the idea.
“I was lucky enough to have Dr. Kaczmarek as my graduate teaching assistant when I was a UBC iSchool student. The focus of her work is on the right to repair, and through her, I was introduced to the concept of repair cafes. We also have team members, including Helen, who have been to repair cafés previously and wanted to host them here,” says Bradshaw, who notes that the timing for the first event, during Climate Action Week in November, was chosen thoughtfully. “A free community space, focused on learning, that empowers future sustainable choices, perfectly embodied the action piece of Climate Action Week.”
The Repair Café is also a wonderful opportunity to make new connections on campus. “Everyone was chatting, learning and enjoying themselves in our space, which made me as an organizer very happy. We also had many people interacting with our stations, meaning that many electronics and clothing items were saved from becoming waste products. It felt like a small, but direct action against wasteful consumerism,” says Bradshaw.
While the focus for the upcoming Repair Café is on textile and clothing repairs, the team is also exploring other types of repairs for future cafés, and hopes to include new stations such as jewelry repair going forward.
Join us at Climate Emergency Week from February 10 to 14, 2025. UBC Library will be hosting and participating in events, activities, and exhibits alongside other units across UBC.
Upcoming events:
AMS Climate Fest
Date and time: Thursday, February 11 (11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Location: The Nest, UBC Vancouver Campus
Learn more
UBC Library Repair Café
Date and time: Thursday, February 13 (12:00 – 3:00 p.m.)
Location: Main Level, Woodward Library, UBC Vancouver Campus
Learn more
Exhibit: History of Climate Science and Climate Action
Date and time: On display until April 30
Location: Memorial Room, Woodward Library, UBC Vancouver Campus