TURNER – Borrowers at the Turner Public Library can choose from a large selection of gardening books – and more than a dozen hand tools to carry out their chosen projects.

Spades and pruners, a cultivating fork, a root cutter and a bulb planter are among the tools that patrons can check out, just as they would a book. Library Director Vicki Varney said the tools are available to help both new gardeners and others who might not have the right tool for the job.

Offering garden tools was the brainchild of library trustee Pat Dickinson, who read about a similar project elsewhere. Jeff Timberlake of Northland True Value Hardware donated the tools. The tools normally are lent for one week but can be renewed, just like a book.