Libraries are all about books, or at least they were, now you can visit them to borrow seeds to grow your own flowers and create your own vegetable garden.
Seed libraries are small community-run boxes or cupboards, often in someone's front yard, that stock packets of plant seeds which users are encouraged to take home and grow.
Twelve of them opened in the Launceston area in Tasmania within the past two months and founder Jo McLauchlan said they would not have worked prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
"All of it is brand new — everything has happened since COVID," she said.
All of the libraries were supplied with their first batches of seeds by the Street Libraries with Seeds group, which established them.
Ms McLauchlan says the seeds will be distributed to the libraries in the order in which they should be sown, starting with eggplant and tomato seeds.
Each library has an associated social media page to keep borrowers informed about what seeds are on offer and to allow community members to connect with each other online.
In launching the libraries Ms McLauchlan wants to provide people with access to free, healthy food and the chance to practice 'slow' activities like gardening and cooking.
But even more importantly, Ms McLauchlan is keen to "help COVID-proof communities" by strengthening residents' connections.
"All the parks and community centres had to close [due to COVID-19] … but we still have the streets and you can still talk over the fence," she said.
Ironically, coronavirus restrictions are also, according to Ms McLauchlan, the reason the seed libraries are "taking off".
"This wouldn't have happened six months ago because people weren't open to having the same discussions and the same openness within a street," she said.
"The momentum is coming from people having changed."
Prioritising people and process
Gathering people as it grows, the seed library initiative is expanding to include a diverse range of community-based activities.
One group of people is making seed packets from recycled paper, another is hand-painting packets and a third is distributing seed information sheets — to name a few.
Ms McLauchlan has 30 years of experience in organising community-focused projects.
She says she is experienced with "tapping into the energy" of skilled yet underutilised people and is pleased to see community members owning different aspects of the project.
"It came from me but then other people picked it up and are running with it in different directions," she said.
For Ms McLauchlan and for many of the libraries' organisers — all of who volunteer their time — the process of establishing and supporting the libraries is as important as their ultimate success.
"The getting together and organising things is just as important as what happens later," she said.
"My priority is the community engagement and making sure no one's left behind."
