Discover the diversity of nature in the city library's seed library, sit back and browse through seed catalogs rather than books - not only can you borrow knowledge from the library, you can also take home seeds for delicious fruit, fresh vegetables and colorful flowers. "The seed library - i.e. borrowing seed packets - has been a huge success over the past two years. We are delighted to be able to start this project again," says deputy head of specialist services Barbara Henning.
The process: Interested parties select seed packets from the city library's collection and borrow them free of charge for a period of nine months using their library card.
The seeds are sown according to instructions and, of course, well cared for so that they grow well. Three to five particularly beautiful plants or flowers are marked for later seed harvesting. Their seeds should ripen. All the other delicacies produced can be used in the kitchen as the mood takes you. After harvesting, the mature seeds of the marked plants should be returned to the library in a dry state in the seed bags provided.
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The city library can do more than just provide traditional literature and promote reading: it has amply demonstrated this by constantly expanding its range of services with new media, transforming into a third place, teaching media skills, etc.
The topics of sustainability and environmental education have also long been part of everyday life for library staff. They can and want to do educational work on one of the most pressing problems of our time: climate change and the associated threat to our habitat.
Seed libraries support the production of seed-resistant, GMO-free seeds, promote plant diversity and help to save the seeds of varieties that are otherwise no longer available.
The seed library is therefore the perfect place to promote sustainable growth and celebrate the beauty of nature.
With the BiNaBi campaign, Büchereizentrale Niedersachsen supports public libraries in their work in the areas of environmental education and sustainability. The campaign is supported by the Association for the Conservation of Crop Diversity (VEN e.V.) and the "Das Große Freie" initiative.
The idea of the seed library originally came from the USA. As there are a lot of genetically modified seeds there, environmental institutions try to preserve the diversity of varieties with "seed libraries".