Sustainability

The Binghamton University Libraries are excited to announce that we have a Seed Library in the Science Library on Main Campus! Here is a brief blog post about it.

Seed libraries are places where individuals can “borrow” seeds to grow with the intention of harvesting and returning seeds at the end of the season. Seed libraries have multiple benefits including: 

1. Promoting biodiversity including preserving genetic diversity
2. Providing community members with seeds to grow healthy food to supplement their diet
3. Supporting local seed-savers and gardeners
4. Encouraging increased engagement between the library and the community

You can see the types of seeds currently available in our Seed Library listing (note: this list will be occasionally updated as we add seeds and do inventory counts).

1. Anyone can come into the Binghamton University Science Library to access the Seed Library which is in the foyer (red cabinet).
2. Individuals will take seeds of each type of plant they want to grow. Seeds are pre-divided into envelopes for ease.
3. After growing the plants, individuals will collect some seeds and return them back to the library so they can be used again the next growing season!

Returning the seeds is not required as plants don't always grow and harvesting the seeds may not be possible for a variety of reasons. We hope to keep the Seed Library running through a combination of returned seeds, additional donations, and possible funding to purchase more.

We will be providing tutorials on how to harvest seeds as well as have various events surrounding the topic. All of these events will be shared on the calendar on the front page of this guide, as well as the events page. If you would like to make sure you don't miss out on any you can attend, sign up for our listserv to be notified about events!

(More coming soon! If you have suggestions let us know at sushub@binghamton.edu)