Beyond books, the Austin Public Library provides countless free resources for the local community. Their assets include a partnership with Central Texas Seed Savers, an organization that brings awareness to the extinction of native plant varieties and aids local food security. The collaboration between APL and CTSS resulted in the establishment of seed libraries, annual seed swap events and volunteering opportunities across the Austin area.

Joining forces in 2019, APL and CTSS developed the seed library on the sixth floor which allows patrons to check out seeds at their convenience. According to their website, APL and CTSS consider seeds a fundamental piece of local history that carry extreme importance extending from physical sustenance to cultural significance. 

Katrin Abel, an adult services librarian at APL, serves as head of the seed library at APL and aids the other branches with their own collections. Abel said her role allows her to pursue her passions of sustainability and gardening.

“(The seed library) is a good fit because libraries are about sharing resources and building community,” Abel said. “Historically, (APL has) been focused more on books. We still love books, but there are a lot of other great resources that we can share. (The seed library) helps with self-reliance, scarcity, the health of our bodies and the health of our communities.”

This weekend, APL hosted its annual seed swap where locals come together to share seeds, gardening knowledge and plants with others of all levels of experience. Paola Ferate-Soto, manager of Recycled Reads, APL’s non-profit bookstore that resells materials libraries can no longer shelve, said the event allows attendees to participate in sustainable living. 

Ferate-Soto said she believes events like the seed swap foster community.

“Right now, there is a movement about mutual aid, help and collaboration,” Ferate-Soto said. “The library is where people can borrow materials, learn more things, have fun, expand their minds or just chill and it doesn’t matter how much money you have or what education you have, this is free. The seed swap is an extension of that.”

Colleen Dieter, the lead volunteer at Central Texas Seed Savers, said CTSS presents numerous opportunities for UT students to get involved with seed libraries, sustainability and gardening in Austin. These opportunities range from UT’s seed library located in the Tower to seed gathering events at the Central Library, at which volunteers clean and package seeds.

“A lot of the volunteers who come to those events are folks who don’t have time or space for gardening but still want to be involved in the process somehow — it’s a very peaceful, meditative kind of activity,” Dieter said.

With a passion for seed conservation, biology senior Sam Webb said living sustainably and protecting native species stands as one of the most important things we can do as members of a connected society. Webb said APL and CTSS provide important opportunities.  

“A big roadblock to science is that a lot of people just don’t know how to get involved with science,” Webb said. “So by having APL, which is a very big part of the community, host these science events, it gets people more involved with sustainability and protecting the biodiversity in Austin.”