1. Seed Libraries: How to Catalog
By McKayla Schafer

2. What Are Seed Libraries?
Usually found within a public library
Seeds can be checked out just like a book, but are not expected to be returned
Educational resources accompany seeds
Librarians hope for future returns
Promote seed saving practices

3. Reasons for Seed Libraries
Humans have been saving and sharing seeds for over 10,000 years
Families would pass down seeds to the next generation, this is what we call heirloom varieties today
In the last 100 years, diversity in seeds has decreased due to a shift in large commercial seed companies
This has led to many food deserts in low-income areas
A loss in heirloom varieties

4. “The purpose of a seed library is as varied as the communities they serve. Our intention is to provide food security through sharing and saving unusual varieties, with a focus on crops that have cultural significance to our community. In doing so we are able to preserve and celebrate genetic and cultural diversity. When seeds are shared that have a face, place, and story attached to them, folks are not just getting seeds, they are getting connections. In this era of Big Ag we have lost a connection both to the foods we eat and the people who grow them. We want to honor our ancestors by sharing seeds while we also breed the heirlooms of the future and with these shared seeds nourish our bodies, minds, and souls.”
- Rebecca Newburn, founder of Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library, Richmond, CA.

6. Hudson Valley Seed Library http://hudsonvalleyseed.com/about-us/
Commonly referred to as VESSEL (Valley Educational Seed Saving Exchange and Library)
One of the very first seed libraries in the country
Founded by Ken Greene in 2004
Ken was a librarian at Gardiner Public Library in Gardiner, New York

7. Basic Setup/Storage Bins Storage Cabinet Ziploc baggies Mason Jars
Old card catalogs
File cabinets

8. Public Seed Libraries by Garden Pool
Mesa Main Public Library, AZ
Mesa Public Library- Red Mountain, AZ
Huntington Beach Public Library, CA
Tempe Public Library, AZ
Haitian Public Seed Library, Haiti

9. Seed Library at Mesa Public Library, AZ

10. Duluth Seed Library at Duluth Public Library

11. Organization Alphabetical by common name
Sections broken down by family: flowers, herbs, and vegetables (alphabetize within these sections)
Level of seed-saving difficulty and true-to-type seeds
* This can be broken down by easy, medium, and advanced

12. Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library
Link leads to a video made by Rebecca Newburn, founder of the Richmond Seed library.
Gives detailed tour of the seed library and how it is organized.

13. Seed Labeling Activity

14. Many Ways to Label Seeds

15. https://modernfarmer

16. Cataloging
Because there are so many varieties of seeds an organized cataloging system is very important
Most public libraries already have a catalog system in place, as well as a librarian that is in charge of cataloging
There can be as many as 50 varieties of each vegetable
For example, tomatoes come in many varieties so rather than entering in the specific name of each tomato libraries can list them all as a “Red Slicer.”

17. Online Seed Library Catalogs
MARC
Tags
Other

18. Seed Laws The Federal Seed Act (1939)
Protect farmers from mislabeled seeds and ensured that they were given quality seeds
Seed companies must guarantee that the seeds are the same as what is labeled on the packet
“The Variety Name Lists are lists of names that have been used or proposed for use as variety names for agricultural and vegetable seeds subject to regulation under the Federal Seed Act. The purpose of these lists are to prevent violations of the Federal Seed Act by providing lists of names that have already been used by plant breeders and others who are naming varieties.” – USDA’s Federal Seed Act, Variety Name list  

19. Seed Laws Continued
“ The definition of ‘sale’ as cited in the Nebraska Seed Law states its variant forms include barter, exchange, offer for sale, expose for sale, move, or transport in any of their variant forms or otherwise supplying. Therefore, public libraries that loan out or donate open-pollinated seeds to individuals would fall under the definition of sale in the Nebraska Law and be required to test all seed and obtain an annual seed permit to distribute seed.”
- David Svik, Nebraska Seed Control Official

20. Extra Seed Fun!!
“We celebrate the genetic diversity of heirloom varieties by commissioning diverse art works, in diverse media, to put on our seed packs. Each year we issue a public call for art. We sift through applicants and eventually choose about twenty applicants to design and produce a unique work for a new variety. Our artists come mainly from the Northeast; many are avid gardeners.”- Hudson Valley Seed Company

21. Smithsonian Seed Catalog

22. Thank you!!