The Council Bluffs Public Library has been circulating seeds since March of 2022. Attendees of this program will learn from our trial and error over the last few years, and how the Circulation team has developed a process in which the seed library is now a thriving resource for other aspects of library service & education. Several areas that we will touch on that have made this collection a success: circulation processes & statistics, utilizing volunteers, and integration into education & programming. The seed library has been a great opportunity to connect with new volunteers, and they’ve become an integral part of our seed collection processing. Through partnerships with local organizations and programming staff from other departments, we’ve worked to develop routine programming, annual seed swaps, and attendance at local outreach events. Additionally, routine marketing has included regularly posted gardening & seed tips. Working with our cataloging department, we’ve made tweaks to more quickly catalog seeds and reduce costs. We’ll share how these partnerships across the community and the library have helped us in reaching our original purpose in creating the seed library: to create an educational, accessible and affordable seed collection.
