setut (put it forward to give or offer someone) listen here.

 We are gifted seeds by our community, and in return, we offer them back to the community! Anyone can borrow seeds free of charge, and in keeping with the principle of the honourable harvest we ask that you only take the seeds that you will use. We keep the majority of our seeds at the Nanaimo campus at the Library Service Desk during service hours. A small special collection is kept at Shq'apthut: A Gathering Place.

pun’utum’ (something for planting or sowing, to plant) listen here.

Plant your seeds! For local gardening and seed resources, click here.

’aluxut (collect, gather, select) [√’alux=t]

When your harvest is over, collect your seeds for next year. For seed saving advice and resources, click here.

matl'ut (pay back) listen here.

Gift your excess seeds to the seed library, and complete the Seed Library Cycle!

What you can find here: Food crops, flowers, herbs, noninvasive plants & native plants

Help yourself to seeds at VIU Library! There is no need to request permission from Library staff to use this resource. Depending on their donation source, some of our seeds at the Library Service Desk will be loose in our spice rack seed library, while others may be in packets on top. For loose seeds, take one of the provided empty seed packet to fill with seeds, or bring your own container! Consider returning your empty seed packet to the Library so it can be used again.

What you can find here: Culturally important plants & medicines, and seeds that were harvested by or gifted to Shq'apthut specifically

Talk to Shq'apthut staff to see what seeds they are able to gift to you!

Bring your seeds to VIU Library, or contact us at stephanie.hohn@viu.ca to make special arrangements. Please provide us with the location and date that the seeds were harvested, the variety, and any stories you want to share. 

Many of our seeds were collected personally by VIU faculty; please contact stephanie.hohn@viu.ca if you'd like to be included in future seed collection work days.

The majority of the food crop seeds at VIU Library were donated by the Nanaimo Foodshare Society. Many native plant seeds have been provided by Caroline Josefsson and the VIU Restoration Project.

Some seeds at Shq'apthut were generously gifted by xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden, which is managed by the Musqueam Nation. Other contributors include Satinflower Nurseries and Starseed Collective.