The Prince William Public Libraries, Virginia (USA), collaborate with the Garden Club of Montclair to promote environmental sustainability, food security, wellness, and a more connected community.

The collaboration began when around 2020 when the Garden Club of Montclair offered its assistance as the Montclair Library – one of twelve branches of the PWPL – established a pollinator garden. Since then, the partners have been collaborating both to maintain the library’s pollinator garden and seed library.

In 2025, a grant opportunity enabled the partners to expand the partnership beyond Montclair, creating a collaborative partnership with other garden clubs and similar organizations in the area to expand the reach of programs and services.

The Garden Club of Montclair now coordinates the activities of Prince William County Seed Library Coalition, made up of four local garden clubs, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and PWPL. PWPL provides space and marketing, while The Coalition provides knowledge, time, and resources.

In addition to contributing to environmental sustainability and food security, this partnership has helped the library make new connections with various organizations, groups, and individuals that now help the library with programming about pollinators, gardening, and the environment in general. The Garden Club benefitted from this partnership by gaining stronger visibility county-wide, expanding their reach and impact.

The Garden Club of Montclair benefited from this partnership by gaining stronger credibility and visibility county-wide, which expands their reach and impact.

The Seed Libraries and gardening programs attract not only library patrons but also other community groups. A local elementary school sought help with activities related to environmental stewardship and found Chinn Park Library’s Seed Library and Children’s Garden. The school’s Girl Scout Daisy Troop members then visited the garden, learned about plants, pollinators, and the joy of growing something beautiful, and earned their Flower Garden Journey badge.

By pooling their knowledge and resources, the members of The Coalition help create sustainable and self-reliant communities where access to fresh produce is a reality for all. They ensure that gardeners, regardless of their experience level, can thrive and contribute to the broader goal of food security and environmental sustainability.

Partnership story updated January 9, 2026. This vignette is part of a collection of stories celebrating public library partnerships created to encourage more partnerships between public libraries and a wide-range of partners.