Establishing a library to lend and share seeds

By SHEILA G. KELLEY

Staff writer

The Goessel Library is breaking new ground — just in time for spring planting.

After seeing the idea working in west and east coasts libraries, librarian Laura Dailey wrote a grant to start one in Goessel. The closest other on in Kansas is in Kansas City.

“I saw it and thought it would be a good thing to have here,” Dailey said.

Dailey received a Service Improvement Grant for the creation of a seed library.

A seed library is an institution that lends and shares seeds. The goal is to disseminate seeds to the public, which preserves plant varieties.

Just as traditional libraries enrich a community by providing a way to share books, seed libraries enrich the gardening community by letting gardeners share seeds.

“We are taking donations of all kinds of seeds,” Dailey said. “We’re hoping we can get some heirloom seeds from local gardeners to add to our inventory.”

Dailey purchased a dehydrator, portable scale, seeds, supplies and books on seed saving from the grant funds.

“The dehydrator will be used to dry seeds brought in from the public so they can be packaged and added to the library,” Dailey said. “We’ll use the scale to measure smaller seeds that are hard to handle by hand.”

The old card catalog will be the see library’s new home.

“I’m glad we didn’t get rid of it,” Dailey said.

Dailey and volunteers Kirsten Solberg and her mother, Barbara Solberg, are sorting, packaging, and cataloging varieties to be ready for distribution around February 1.

“My mom enjoys having something to do at home,” Solberg said. “I’m just volunteering. That’s what I do best.”

Anyone seeking to take part in the seed library must have a Goessel Library card, which can be obtained at the library.