It’s called the Moab Tool Shed, but it is more like a tool library.
If one lived in Berkeley, Calif., one could go to your public library and not only check out a book on gardening, but also all of the tools one would need to start a garden. One could also check out a book on building a bench and check out the drill, saw, and hammer that one would need to build it. Berkeley’s tool lending library has been providing free access to tools for that community since 1979.
“There are now dozens of tool lending libraries across the country providing community access to this great form of enrichment and empowerment and environmental stewardship,” said Moab Tool Shed organizer Paige Stuart.
Moab is now the newest addition to an ever-growing list of cities with tool-lending libraries.
It will open 10 a.m. this Sunday at the campus of the Moab Valley Multi-Cultural Center (MVMC) at 156 N 100 W.
“The willingness of the Moab Valley Multi-Cultural Center to host the Tool Shed on their property was a tremendously formative step in making an established tool lending library in Moab a possibility,” Stuart said.
The Moab Tool Shed exists because of volunteers.
“The shed was constructed by individuals willing to give up their weekends to hammer and saw. Screws and fasteners aside, all of the wood and building materials were donated,” Stuart said.
The Tool Shed will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday. Eventually it will also be open on one weekday evening. It is gradually getting an inventory of useful tools but it needs more tool donations or financial contributions to acquire the tools for lending.
“This spring as you find yourself in your garden, doing home repairs, or engaging in DIY projects consider checking out tools from the Moab Tool Shed,” Stuart said. “Make change. Share tools.”
