There’s a little known type of library that’s sprouting up throughout California. It promotes gardening, biodiversity and access to healthy food. On the South Coast, a library allows patrons to check out seeds just like checking out books.

“Welcome to the Camarillo Seed Lending Library," said Erin Dilley who runs the seed library located inside the Camarillo Library at the Circulation Desk.

“We’re here to encourage people to grow their own food and be sustainable,” she said.

“I don’t know what seeds you were looking at growing," Dilley asked Jennifer Herrera of Camarillo who came by the library to pick up seeds.

"Something I will use a lot of. I cook a lot and I like to have fresh vegetables, fresh herbs especially on hand," Herrera said.

Packets of seeds of arugula along with carrots, beets, snap peas, dill, basil and thyme are for the taking. The idea is that the public can check out seeds, plant them, harvest the plants and then return the harvested seeds back to the library, so it becomes a sustainable project.

The Camarillo Seed Lending Library is just one of more than 100 seed libraries across California and more than 900 around the globe since the first one opened in Berkeley in 1999, said Daniela Soleri, an associate research scientist in the Department of Geography at UC Santa Barbara.