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Springtime is here and the garden preparation has begun. Before rushing to garden centers to look for what you want to plant, the library has you covered.
We visited Milwaukee’s Tippecanoe Library to learn more about their seed library. The Tippecanoe branch is one of four locations where community members can come and pick up some seeds — or leave some of their own to share with others. The other locations with seed libraries are Zablocki, Good Hope, and East Branch.
The journey to establishing the seed library began in 2019, with a previous librarian. But the COVID pandemic put a pause to it, until 2022. By 2023, Katie Coffey, the adult services librarian at the Tippecanoe Library, was able to fully bring the seed library to life.
Unlike books, patrons are not expected to return seeds. Coffey says it's more like a little free library.
"You kind of check them out, so to speak, just by writing down what you took, so we can keep statistics to see who's using it, how many people are using it," says Coffey. "We do invite community members at the end of the planting season, if they have seeds they'd like to donate for the next season, to bring them back."
The seed library offers an array of vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a neatly-kept cabinet and shelves at the center of the building. It has served as a connecting point between the library and the local community.
"We get to know our patrons really well through things like that because you end up talking to them like, 'Thanks for bringing these seeds. How's your garden going this year?' So I feel like it really adds more of a personal connection with our patrons," says Coffey.
Tippecanoe is focused on green programming, providing events and activities that revolve around sustainability and the outdoors. The seed library helps complement the mission.
"We just had a program with UWM Extension, one of their master gardeners came and did a small space, small budget garden-starting program. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District is coming next month to do a rain barrel program," says Coffey. "In the fall, we're hoping to do an end-of-the-season seed exchange that people can bring in seeds they have and actually exchange them face-to-face with community members."
