A LIBRARY of TREASURES

Check out some ways libraries are offering more than just reading adventures.

SEED SHARING Librarians have become farmers, or at least farming midwives, since 2004, when the Hudson Valley Seed Library sprouted at the Gardiner (N.Y.) Public Library. Since then, free seed-sharing programs have opened across the country, specializing in heirloom or uniquely local flowers, vegetables and other plants. The idea: to teach people about regional flora, expand seed access and help preserve biodiversity.

TOOL TIME Need a saw, hammer, weed whacker or unusual screwdriver? The Berkeley (Calif.) Public Library’s Tool Lending Library is one of the oldest such services in the country, recently branching into kitchen tools: food dehydrators, Instant Pots, ice cream makers and more.

HEALTH VISITS At the Pottsboro (Texas) Area Library, you can schedule your telehealth visit, complete your pre-visit check-in electronically and attend your appointment—all at the library.

MEMORY KITS Families who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease might look into checking out Memory Kits (also called Reminiscence Kits or Caregiver Kits) at their local library. Based on “reminiscence therapy,” music, photographs and tactile objects (toy cars, cooking utensils, pine cones) are used to call up deeply held memories and stimulate conversation and joy.

SPORTING GOODS Not all kids have access to basketballs, footballs and soccer balls. In southeast Michigan, 15 libraries (partnering with local community groups like the YMCA) are supporting physical literacy by letting kids borrow balls through an equipment-sharing program.

DINNER + A BOOK How about sampling great reads paired with local beverages, like wine and coffee? That’s available at the North Olympic Library System outside Seattle.

Visit parade.com/banned for the 100 most frequently challenged books of the past decade.