MURFREESBORO, TN - It’s not your typical library and they lack the usual sites like books, but it’s definitely worth a visit, especially if you’ve been thinking about planting a garden this year… That was Kathleen Tyree, Manager of the Technology Engagement Center in Murfreesboro. Many visitors started collecting seeds about 20 days before the first day of spring… 

Tyree said that seed libraries are not a new thing… The first contemporary seed library was created in 1999 and continues to flourish today in Berkley, California. 

In Murfreesboro, the free seed library inside the Technology Engagement Center is located on the back side of Hobgood Elementary School and is part of the Rutherford County Library System. 

On a side note, the Technology Engagement Center is much more than just a seed library. The TEC offers a huge variety of computers, printers, games, gaming systems, podcasting rooms and more. The address of the center is 306 Minerva Dr. in Murfreesboro.

Brief History on Seed Libraries: Before the seed libraries of today, farmers commonly shared seeds with one another for centuries. In the mid-1800s, the government joined hands with farmers and families to distribute thousands of seed packages annually through the U.S. Mail Service. However, in the late 1800s, a group of representatives formed the American Seed Trade Association and lobbied for the government to stop distributing free seeds, arguing it undercut private seed merchants. After 30-years of lobbying, congress agreed to end the free seed program in 1924, halting free seed distributions almost immediately.

Over 70-years later, free seed libraries began popping up in cities across the country. Perhaps this time around, they are here to stay?