Gardening Tools

Sustainability starts here

Want to get into gardening, but don't have a storage shed for tools? You can borrow a number of gardening tools from two of our Harris County Public Library locations, free of charge with a library card. We encourage anyone with a green thumb or a home improvement project to utilize these tool collections in an effort to reduce and reuse.

Gardening Tool FAQs

Tools are available for borrowing from two HCPL branches: Evelyn Meador Branch Library in Seabrook and Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library @ Mercer Park in north Harris County.

Tools available at Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library

Tools Available at Evelyn Meador Branch Library

Tools include:
- Cultivators
- Gloves
- Hoes
- Kneeling pads
- Loppers
- Pruners
- Rakes
- Shears
- Shovels
- Spades
- Trowels
- Weeders
- Wheelbarrows
Anyone with a Harris County Public Library card without blocks on their account can borrow tools.

You must sign a Harris County Public Library Gardening Tool Waiver before you can check out tools.
Yes, all tools must be returned to the library they were borrowed from. They must be returned when the library is open.

Please clean the tools before returning them. Failure to return to the location will result in the loss of your tool borrowing privileges.
You will be charged the tool replacement fee if the item is returned damaged.

Tool replacement fees will be charged for any lost items. If the lost material is recovered, You may request a refund within one year of the payment date.
Yes. We do charge late fees for tools that are past due.
- Small tools = $.10 per day / $3.00 maximum fee
- Large tools = $2.00 per day / $100.00 maximum fee
- You will be charged the tool replacement fee if the item is returned damaged.
After the tool has been late by 120 days, a replacement fee will be charged. Speak to a staff member if you are interested in replacing the tool rather than paying the replacement fee.
The lending period for tools is 14 days with no renewals. However, you may return the item and borrow it again if there is no waiting list for the tool.
Yes! But because the number of tools available at the two tool library locations, the limits are different at each Tool Library location:

Baldwin Boettcher: a total of 40 (Up to 20 small tools and up to 20 large tools).

Evelyn Meador: up to 10 tools
Yes! Contact your home branch and tell them what you need. They will place a request for you. You will however have to pick up tools at either Baldwin Boettcher or Evelyn Meador branch libraries. We cannot ship tools to other branch locations.