Submitted by Susannah Cook on Thu, 2022-11-24 10:07
The library staff at Jesus College and Churchill College have joined forces with Grounds & Gardens teams and student Green Officers to set up “Seed Libraries” as a free resource to help students and their families get started growing flowers, herbs and vegetables.
At Churchill College the idea and initial donation of seeds came from our MCR Green Officer, Nick Koenig, who had previous experience with seed libraries when he was working in Kentucky as an Environmental Education Officer. Churchill’s Wellbeing Seed Library is located in the foyer outside the library, and (keeping things simple for now) the seed packets are housed in a shoebox that Nick decorated, next to a display of books on Gardening and Wildlife (which is also set up as a Collection in iDiscover providing an easy way to link people to it).
The Churchill Wellbeing Seed Library is being promoted to students plus their partners and children, as there is a large community of families living on site. There are raised beds and a greenhouse in the College gardens for students and families to use, so it is hoped this will encourage more people to discover the joys of gardening. Students can also grab pots and compost from the greenhouse if they want to grow plants in their rooms, and the College gardeners will be on hand for any advice. It has been popular so far, and hopefully will evolve into a more cyclical scheme, as the College gardeners have offered to run some workshops on harvesting and saving seeds this next year. However for now the College gardeners will be keeping the library supplied with seeds as needed, as they (and the library team) are happy to be providing a hub for new and burgeoning gardeners to get their hands dirty!
Nick Koenig says “I am really hoping the seed library can provide students and staff with a free way to engage with the land and plant life. Growing up gardening, I was mesmerized by the way we can be stewards of plants in gardens and how we can nourish our bodies by celebrating their fruits and veggies. I hope people can share in this excitement as well as use the time outside gardening as a break from the library!”
As Churchill College were exploring the concept of seed libraries, it seemed sensible to check in with other colleges and see if anyone else was doing anything similar. This prompted Rhona Watson, Librarian at Jesus College to do some quick research and have a word with their Green Officers and Gardeners, Lee de Grammont and Danny Lawler, who agreed that this could be a useful resource for Jesuans.
Churchill and Jesus Colleges kept in touch and we fed off each other’s ideas and so we ended up with a similar resource in our libraries. Jesus College’s seeds came out of the library budget (mainly autumn/winter planting ones, including some windowsill ‘micro herbs’ so that people could get start as soon as they arrived in College for the Michaelmas term), and they also received a donation of some seeds from the gardeners. Along with this, some suitable gardening books were bought to establish a Seed Library iDiscover Collection.
At Jesus College, the seed library fits in nicely in space formerly occupied by the Reference Section which was heavily weeded this summer. It was an immediate hit with Jesus College members, the wildflower meadow seed that was collected from our North Court meadow all went within 48 hours. The flowers and micro herbs have also proved hugely popular. Several people have promised to harvest some seeds from their gardens this autumn and donate them back to the Library. The library team also plan to buy a few more spring/summer planting seeds next season.
Rhona Watson says “The project has created a buzz in College and it is nice to produce something that everyone can get involved with. The official name for the collection is the Wellbeing Seed Library and this small service seems to tick the wellbeing, sustainability, and biodiversity boxes.”
Written by: Rhona Watson, Jesus College, Annie Gleeson and Nick Koenig, Churchill College