The Story of the Modern Seed Library

The Story of the Modern Seed Library: A Historical Analysis of Seed Saving, Its Evolution Through the Ages, and Its Current Impact on Community, Culture, and Connection

This study explores the relationship between humans and seeds, from the first agricultural societies 12,000 years ago to the modern era of centralized agribusiness corporations. Authors Jennifer K. Embree and Neyda V. Gilman argue that seeds, like any resource, have been a tool for human power, control, and development. As genetic biodiversity in plant life collapses due to climate change, Embree and Gilman offer seed libraries as a community-centered service that libraries can provide to combat food insecurity while celebrating biodiversity. Both faculty-ranked academic librarians at Binghamton University, the authors were inspired to write this publication as they worked together to launch their library’s Sustainability Hub in 2021, which includes the campus’s first seed library.