Library Futurist Joan Frye Williams once said that the main purpose of libraries is to help people achieve their fullest sense of self; it just happened that for several centuries books were the primary tool. As we find ourselves in this era of modern technology and community-centered activities, libraries are expanding their roles to offer many new services, often based upon time-honored traditions.
The St. Johns County Public Library System is taking a big step forward with the help of several community partners and will be inaugurating a Seed Library at the Southeast Branch Library on October 29, 2019.
The result of the work of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market and Green Hands Initiative, Edible Northeast Florida, and Maritime Creative, the Seed Library will offer a collection of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds to plant and grow at home. A focused effort towards saving seeds enables our community to create local seed stocks that are better acclimated to our unique climate, which in turn will support an abundant and genetically diverse landscape.
The Southeast Branch will play host to the Seed Library Grand Opening Celebration at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. Green Hands Coordinator Shelby Dixon will present a program on how to grow, harvest, and save seeds. This program and the Seed Library will be an opportunity for beginning growers to experts to learn from their neighbors and contribute to a continuing seasonal stock of diverse seeds.
The Seed Library is a project that has been slowly developing over the past year, but received a great deal of momentum with the generous donation of an “old-school” card catalog by Maritime Creative, a St. Augustine based live event production and fabrication shop that serves clients from all over the nation.
The Southeast Branch Library is located at 6670 U.S. 1 South, St. Augustine, Florida. Learn more about the Seed Library at https://sjcpls.org/seedlibrary/. Visit these websites to learn more about the Library System and its community partners:
St. Johns County Public Library System, sjcpls.org
The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market and the Green Hands Initiative, staugamphitheatre.com
Edible Northeast Florida, ediblenortheastflorida.ediblecommunities.com
Maritime Creative, maritimecreative.com