Scotland’s Green Libraries Grant Fund report – Growing Greener Highland Communities, High Life Highland

Category: #CILIPSGoGreen, Blog

With Scotland’s Green Libraries Grant Fund successful projects for 2025-26 soon to be announced, be inspired by what can grow thanks to this brilliant blog post from 2024-25 recipients, High Life Highland Libraries.

Written by Julie Corcoran, Head of Libraries and Project Lead for Growing Greener Highland Communities.

Full project report: Growing Greener Highland Communities

The project group researched seed library models across the UK and examples from across Europe also. A toolkit (download here) was then developed to assist staff in setting up community seed libraries. The initial plan for the project was to develop two pilot seed libraries but due to community demand the decision was taken to develop seed libraries across all four hubs, plus an additional one at the most northerly library in the Highlands, Bettyhill.

The service found the seed libraries to be an ideal way to engage with local communities. Some customers proudly sent into their local library photographs of plants developed from the seeds and library displays were then created from the images. At some libraries, the community got involved in growing vegetables and flowers from the seeds, in planters outside their local library.

Library staff were encouraged to work closely with other High Life Highland colleagues and their communities to develop a Green Hub offering that met local need. In this way both our staff and their local communities have felt empowered to be creative and to take ownership of how their hub has developed. Nature clubs have developed differently within each setting based on community needs, with younger school children in attendance at some and older school children at others. It has been a real joy to watch staff and communities thrive within this environment…