Maintain a Library
Here are a few strategies on how to maintain your library. If you develop resources or have useful suggestions email us.
1. Create systems
Create systems to make it easy to manage your seed library and create documents to make it easy to transfer jobs to other folks. Using an easy to share document like Google docs makes this process even simpler. Here are some things that you may want to write the procedures up for:
a. Work parties - What needs to be done? How often does it need to be done and does it need to be done at a particular season?
b. Promotion of classes and events - What organizations will promote your events? What media will you use (newspapers, radio, social media) to promote events? If you have events that you will offer again, such as a seed saving class, create a folder with flyers that can used again (with a change of date, of course). If you do not charge for your events, consider using a service like EventBrite for people to register. It makes it easy to send class notes to participates and you can add them to your database to inform them of other classes.
2. Signage
Make sure you have good signage in your library. Including:
a. How to check out material
b. How to return seeds and where to return them
c. Notice that your seed is not up to industry standard
3. Grow Outs
Find allies in the community that are either willing to grow seed for the seed library. Some people to approach are folks in horticulture departments, school garden coordinators, Master Gardeners, community garden and garden clubs members. Also reach out to members of your seed library and ask folks to grow out seed. See our Grow Out page for more tips and suggestions. Putting together a Grow Out program may not happen your first or even your second year, but you will probably need to put some mechanism in place to increase the number of folks growing seeds for the seed library until our culture has readopted seed saving as part of our gardening practice.
1. Create systems
Create systems to make it easy to manage your seed library and create documents to make it easy to transfer jobs to other folks. Using an easy to share document like Google docs makes this process even simpler. Here are some things that you may want to write the procedures up for:
a. Work parties - What needs to be done? How often does it need to be done and does it need to be done at a particular season?
b. Promotion of classes and events - What organizations will promote your events? What media will you use (newspapers, radio, social media) to promote events? If you have events that you will offer again, such as a seed saving class, create a folder with flyers that can used again (with a change of date, of course). If you do not charge for your events, consider using a service like EventBrite for people to register. It makes it easy to send class notes to participates and you can add them to your database to inform them of other classes.
2. Signage
Make sure you have good signage in your library. Including:
a. How to check out material
b. How to return seeds and where to return them
c. Notice that your seed is not up to industry standard
3. Grow Outs
Find allies in the community that are either willing to grow seed for the seed library. Some people to approach are folks in horticulture departments, school garden coordinators, Master Gardeners, community garden and garden clubs members. Also reach out to members of your seed library and ask folks to grow out seed. See our Grow Out page for more tips and suggestions. Putting together a Grow Out program may not happen your first or even your second year, but you will probably need to put some mechanism in place to increase the number of folks growing seeds for the seed library until our culture has readopted seed saving as part of our gardening practice.
