READING, Pa. – The Reading Public Library has given new life to its historic card catalog.
“We’ve had this here forever and it’s just been like a piece of furniture that everybody kind of ignores,” said Jennifer Bressler, the library’s assistant director and a Penn State Master Gardener.
“Libraries had card catalogs that consisted of actual cards that had information on them that would tell you where to find a book in the vast library,” explained Melissa Adams, executive director of the Reading Public Library.
When that process became digital this piece of furniture needed a new purpose, so the folks at Reading Public Library teamed up with master gardeners and turned it into a seed library.
“[We] Wanted to focus on native seeds just because they support the entire ecosystem,” said Bressler. “We’re losing so many of the native plants that feed the caterpillars, that feed baby birds, that support everything. It all comes down to the plants that we grow and that we don’t grow.”
The seed library is organized in alphabetical order and includes native plants, vegetables and even flowers.
You simply open a drawer, select the seeds you want, and take them with you.
“You don’t need to have a big yard,” said Adams. “You just need a pot, a little bit of sunshine and some water and an enthusiasm to learn a little bit about gardening.”
Library staff says it’s already been very well received.
“There are some really, really easy seeds to grow and you start with those and you get a crop of cucumbers or tomatoes and that whole process is such an important thing, especially for us in the city,” said Bressler.
You don’t need to have a library card and the seeds are free to the public.