The Estevan Public Library has officially opened it’s public seed library, which was made possible due to donations from the Estevan Quota Club.
The seed library is a place where community members are able to receive seeds for free, after filling out a membership form, and is run entirely for community benefit.
According to Estevan Public Library manager Lucas Reid, the initiative was inspired by the Weyburn Public Library, and is aimed to inspire those who are interested in gardening, and experienced gardeners looking to grow new types of produce.
“Patrons can come and borrow seeds for their own purposes, whether they have existing gardens or they just want to try their hand at growing their own plants,” said Reid.
“People can rent out up to four seed packets at one time, and there is no real return date, we just ask people to bring back seeds once the plants sprout. A lot of other libraries are offering new initiatives that aren’t what people think of when they think of a library so it really inspired us to try something new for the community.”
The seed library is currently located in the teen section at the library, but the library will be looking for a more permanent home for the donation box in the future.
“Everything will just be done through the front desk just like any of our other services that we offer at the library,” said Reid.
“Just come in and speak to someone at the front desk and they will direct you to the seed library, and if you are looking to donate seeds all you have to do is talk to us. It’s a really basic system; all you need to do is fill out a membership form and a seed lending slip.”
Reid also wished to note that there have been updates and additions to the teen area of the library, and said he hopes to see more youths attending the library in the future.
“We’ve recently completed some additions to the teen section of the library as well, and that’s something we really wanted to tell the pubic about,” said Reid.
“It was made possible due to a very generous donation from Certified Energy Services here in Estevan.”
The new additions include new furniture, new resources and updated electronics, which Reid believes will be greatly enjoyed by youths in the city.
Anyone interested in growing their own plants or crops, or who is looking to donate and help the seed library continue to grow, is encouraged to visit the library and inquire about the seed library.
