After a year of careful planning, a team composed of Katie Armstrong, Liz Devries, and Jeanne Pfander from the University of Arizona Libraries and Preston Kramer, Chair of the Students for Sustainability (SFS) Garden Committee, launched the Seed Library at the University of Arizona on March 19.

This free seed lending service is for UA students, faculty, staff and the Tucson community, and is located in the Science-Engineering Library on the second floor near the Hold Shelf. Users are only asked to fill out a simple form when taking seed packets. SFS Garden Committee students will refresh the supply of seed packets periodically, and provide guidance to users with questions on gardening with these seeds.

Although many public libraries around the country have seed libraries—including Pima County Public Library—there are only a few such “collections” at academic libraries. The UA Seed Library planning team saw an opportunity to add this kind of resource to the many sustainability initiatives at the University of Arizona, thereby demonstrating the University Libraries’ core values of innovation and collaboration and advancing the SFS Garden Committee’s mission to “engage the Tucson community by teaching its citizens about sustainable urban agriculture.”

Visit our Seed Library web page for more information and get ready to garden!