Hello, readers!
It’s been awhile. How are we holding up?
I hope life is getting better and better for all of you as the fog of the pandemic slowly lifts. Personally, I’ve been reuniting with family and friends and getting back out into the world. I’m filled with gratitude for the scientists, researchers, health care professionals, essential employees, and every other individual who sacrificed and worked so hard to bring our county and our state back to a new version of normal.
In the spirit of regeneration, I’d like to highlight a great service provided by our Reference Department, and it’s one that you might have missed learning about during the pandemic: The Seed Library. Though COVID slowed down our grand unveiling, it has hit the ground running. For 2021, since its opening day on March 17, over 2,000 seed packets have been distributed! Gardening has undeniable health benefits, both physically and mentally. I’m sure it’s a hobby that many of you turned to during the pandemic–it can be done safely, independently, and provides tangible results.
With your Levittown Public Library card, you can use this form to request up to 10 packets of seeds from a variety of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. Unlike our typical library materials, these seeds are yours to keep and nourish! In fact, we’ve even offered helpful programs about seed saving and garden maintenance, and will continue to offer similar programs in the future to help your gardens flourish.
Other resources for horticulturalists–both budding and established (pun very much intended!):
- Books on seed saving and general gardening.
- Gardening and home improvement databases with reliable information, both from a practical/everyday perspective (Gardening, Landscape, & Horticulture) and from a more scientific angle (Agriculture). Remember: you will need your Levittown Public Library card to access any of our databases from home.
- Magazines, both print and digital (available via OverDrive). For example: Fine Gardening, Better Homes & Gardens, Amateur Gardening, and Gardens Illustrated.
- Get inspired by the magnificence of our local gardens and arboretums! Use your library card to reserve a museum pass for Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Clark Botanic Garden, New York Botanical Garden, or Old Westbury Gardens.
After the 15 months we’ve experienced–with varying levels of awfulness–we should use any and every opportunity to remind ourselves that nature is still magnificent and we each have the ability to create something nourishing, sustaining, and beautiful from the tiniest speck of a seed.
Happy Reading, Happy Planting, Happy Growing,
Jess