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2017 Conference

June 21–24, 2017

Tuscon, AZ

AESS 2017 Draft Conference Session Schedule

Creating a college seed library through partnerships with the college farm and students

Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 11:00 AM–12:30 PM MDT
ENR2 N 350
Abstract

Seed libraries, where members of a community can obtain herb, flower and vegetable seeds and growing information for free, have been thriving in public libraries around the country, but are newer initiatives within college and university settings. The vision for Lafayette College's seed library, LaSeed Library, was developed through consultation and collaboration between the Library, our student focus group, and LaFarm, Lafayette’s working farm. LaFarm purchases bulk organic seed, to grow food for campus dining halls and often has surplus seeds at the end of the growing season, so was interested in organizing and creating a resource for campus and community members interested in gardening. After designing eye catching seed packets, we decided to start out with fourteen seed varieties that would be easy to grow and that appeal to students who could grow them in their dorm rooms. We had a soft launch during Family Weekend at the start of the year where we gave away seeds and provided a ‘make and take’ basil planting project. This was followed by a garlic planting event before Thanksgiving. The reception has been very positive from faculty, staff and students, and we plan to officially launch at the beginning of the spring semester. We aim to eventually make the LaSeed Library accessible to the whole community, not just the Lafayette community, so we can support community gardeners and gardens. We also aim to educate members about seed saving in hopes that we will be able to develop a bank of seeds from community-contributors and distributors alike. The mission of the LaSeed Library is to increase food security and food justice, educate and empower community members with knowledge about seed saving and gardening, while creating a collection of the best possible seeds for our community.

Primary Contact

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Ms Kylie Bailin, Lafayette College

Presenters

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Ms Kylie Bailin, Lafayette College
Title of paper

Creating a college seed library through partnerships with the college farm and students

Co-Authors

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Sarah Edmonds, Lafayette College
Title of paper

Creating a college seed library through partnerships with the college farm and students

[photo]
Sarah Morris, Lafayette College
Title of paper

Creating a college seed library through partnerships with the college farm and students

Chair, Facilitator, Or Moderators

Discussants

Workshop Leaders

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