• We asked librarians who have offered gardening programs “Is there anything you would tell a librarian considering gardening programming?” and this is what they had to say!
  • You can learn alongside your patrons – you don’t have to be an expert. Experiments and mistakes are part of gardening.
  • It’s a widely appealing topic, and very adaptable to a variety of communities’ needs.
  • Plan/work with outreach departments of various companies and organizations.
  • Do it! Gardening programs are an extension of nature programming, which has resonated with our community. Libraries can play a role in connecting people with the great outdoors.
• Most successful gardening programs in libraries are partnerships. Here are what librarians have to say about working with partners for these programs:
  • We worked with the local Master Gardener Volunteers mostly, and through them we were able to connect with a range of non-profits doing work in a wide spectrum of garden-related ways.
  • In the past, local extension agent, but we are currently developing other programs and increasing our partnerships.
  • Partners mentioned by librarians include:
    • Senior services/ cooperative extension services/ partnerships
    • Local county extension office
    • Virginia Cooperative Extension (including Loudoun County Master Gardeners)
    • Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District
    • Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
    • Banshee Reeks Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists
    • Library staffers with green thumbs.
• Other things to consider, according to librarians:
  • Consider your audience. Are you introducing gardening to beginners? Are they gardening for pleasure, or trying to supplement their food source? Think about barriers people might face, and try to minimize them (i.e. Are you in an urban area? Can the library facilitate access to a community garden? Would container gardening be more accessible? Can you encourage seed-sharing to keep down costs?). Also consider growing organic, and modeling environmentally sound practices.
  • Subject knowledge, interest from community members, do you have materials in the collection to support the program, budget
  • Topics of interest to the local population should drive your choices – are you urban or rural? What are your local socio-economic conditions? Are people gardening for fun or to live? Lining up speakers is pretty easy, especially if you have a budget, but if you want to give out starter kits, door prizes, or other physical materials costs can quickly add up.
  • Patron interests
  • Do you have staff who are personally interested and knowledgable in gardening. Not necessary but helps to keep a gardening program going if continued maintenance is required, i.e. seed exchange. I would think this would be essential if considering a library/community garden.
  • Make sure to consider: Audience, Community interests/needs, and the Budget
  • Cost and committed partners

• Feedback from librarians:
  • “Costs have been minimal. Lectures and workshops have been offered free of charge by local gardeners and farmers. Seed and plant swaps cost nothing. We bought a garden hose, and fund-raised for the lumber needed to make the garden bed (under $200 for hose and lumber). We focus a lot at our library on community sharing, and we try to promote re-using and recycling materials – so we’re usually teaching people the simplest, cheapest way of doing things.
  • Small cost for seed library supplies (envelopes, etc…), seeds are donated
  • We tried to solicit local donations, but with one exception were unsuccessful. We paid for almost all materials and speakers fees (when levied) from our programming budget.
  • Buying supplies for hands on activity such as pots, dirt, seed, and plenty of plastic covering to protect tables and flooring if event is held inside.
  • Sometimes programs are presentations given by a local expert who donates their time/services. Other times, costs (for materials, etc.) are shared by the library and its partners so that learning opportunities remain free of charge for participants. Sometimes program hosts gather resources from my their own gardens to share with attendees: flower seeds, native transplants for giveaway, etc.
  • The program offered did not cost the library anything.

• Feedback from librarians
  • “Gardening is so much a part of our library life that it doesn’t really seem like a “program” per se… so we haven’t done much formal assessment. We do keep a guest book at the door, and many people comment on the gardens.”
  • “Evaluate the Partnerships that undergird the program – Is my library better connected to my community because we have a garden?”
  • “Partner with local organizations to see if the library can add another element to gardening programs. If no one else is offering programs, seek partners.”

• Emphasize importance of fostering connections to nature – Great resource from Children & Nature Network shows how.
• Think creatively about how you can use garden as a conversation starter to engage your community
• Feedback from librarians
  • “Want to learn how to ______? Come get your hands dirty/ Pull on your boots/ Let’s get growing” In general, we use friendly, informal, playful language. It’s not a hard sell, really… people love to garden!
  • “Promoting self-sufficiency, local climates, environmental concerns, food security, etc.”
  • “Encouraging it as a light, entertaining, intellectually accessible “learning series” was how we scoped it, but we may have done better by marketing directly to more passionate, already-invested audiences who tend to travel for good programming.”
  • “Health/wellness promotions”

The American Library Association published a Handbook on gardening at libraries in 2019: Libraries and Gardens: Growing Together written by Carrie Scott Banks and Cindy Mediavilla. It’s a great resource!

OCLC/Webjunction maintains a wonderful website on how to get started gardening at your library: Growing Library Garden Programs.

The Central Minnesota Library Exchange hosted a Podcast on Library Gardens in 2017

Teen Services Depot published a blog post on how to start a Garden Club.

Kristi Bryant. 2015. Get Started Gardening at your Library. Programming Librarian.

Additional resources suggested by librarians:

“These are GREAT resources for developing gardening programs with/for kids:
Gardening Projects for Kids
Grow It, Cook It!
The Garden Classroom

“Your local Extension office is the best place to start! They know the widest swath of practitioners with expertise in the area, usually.

“If interested in hosting programs about gardening for wildlife (sustainable gardening), National Wildlife Federation has some good resources (including some in Spanish)” See especially this resource from 2010 written by a librarian.”

The following librarians have agreed to be expert resources for StoryWalk(R) programming. Reach out to them with additional questions!

Kate Oland
Baddeck Public Library
902-295-2055
baddeck@cbrl.ca

Kelly Senser, Loudoun County Public Library
kelly.senser@loudoun.gov
As an additional resource, Kelly shared this flyer from her library:

Are there additional resources you use at your library to support Gardening programming? Let us know using this form and we’ll add them to this webpage.