The library has long had more than just books and other media in its (physical and digital) collection. Notebooks and other technical devices have also been available for lending for years. Now something very special has been added: seeds for lending.
How does it work? Quite simply! In the library at the Max-Ophüls-Platz location, seeds for various types of vegetables are available in small bags. If you want to borrow something, go to the service counter, show your FHCard or ID card and you can start gardening at home. During the gardening season, if everything goes well, new seeds can be harvested alongside delicious vegetables and brought back to the library in an extra bag. This creates a sustainable cycle that benefits as many people as possible. It also contributes to the preservation of biodiversity and passes on knowledge about old varieties and their cultivation.
Seed libraries are not a completely new concept; they already exist in many places across Germany. The Dortmund City and State Library has also had seeds in its collection since 2024. However, they have been a rarity in academic libraries - at least in Germany. Ilona Stauvermann, a library employee at Max-Ophüls-Platz, came up with the idea of changing this and creating a similar service at the university. The members of the Social and Ecological Sustainability Working Group were immediately convinced by her suggestion.
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"For me, the seed library is a project close to my heart and I am delighted that we are taking this step," says Ilona Stauvermann. Together with Dorothee Albrecht from Climate Protection Management and library colleague Eva Schameitat, she has been driving the project forward in recent months. During a visit to the City and State Library, they were inspired by the experiences of Sina Kirchhoff, who is in charge of the seed lending service there. The seeds for the start come from the Verein zur Erhaltung der Nutzpflanzenvielfalt e. V. (Association for the Conservation of Crop Diversity), which offers pre-labeled seed bags especially for libraries. The initial equipment was financed by the "Querbeet"(Opens in a new tab) project of the City of Dortmund's Office for Urban Renewal.
The offer was deliberately anchored exclusively at the Max-Ophüls-Platz location, where it is intended to establish itself in the long term. There is an affinity with gardening here, not least due to the green inner courtyard. "There is also something creative about working with plants and that fits in well with the Faculty of Design," says Ilona Stauvermann. Of course, all members of the UAS are entitled to borrow seeds: "We are delighted when students and employees from other locations visit our beautiful little design library!" Events on seeds and vegetable cultivation are also planned, for example in the context of sustainability weeks.
Information flyers explaining sowing and harvesting specifically for the individual species can be taken out on loan. During the season, all lenders receive a reminder email so that they do not forget to sow their seeds. There is no fixed loan period or even reminder fees for seeds, as is the case with traditional media loans. However, users who do not manage to harvest new seeds for return during the season are asked to report this to the library.
The more seeds that are returned, the more can be lent out in the 2026 season without the need for new purchases. Ilona Stauvermann and her colleagues are looking forward to welcoming many interested (young) hobby gardeners to the university. The preparations have already shown that various stakeholders inside and outside the university support and value the new offer. Now all that is needed is good weather and the best harvest conditions in the coming spring and summer.