Making a difference by enriching people’s lives.
The Foundation’s goal is to support and provide resources for programs and services beyond the public funding available to the Dakota County Library and to champion the library’s role in the community
You can support the Foundation by donating, joining, or championing our local libraries. Contact us to learn more.
Recent Highlights
Farmington Library’s Seed Library
Mid-January is a good time to dream about Spring planting and for planning a visit to Farmington Library’s Seed Library! The Dakota County Library Foundation is proud to be a partner in supporting the Seed Library and shares in the excitement of our community of gardeners and families who are interested in trying their hand at growing healthy food, herbs, flowers, and native plants.
One of the partners in maintaining Farmington’s Seed Library is the Dakota County Master Gardeners (DCMG). In 2023, Lana Tullis, who took over as Lead for the DCMG volunteers, gathered a cohort of regular Master Gardener volunteers who collected seed donations from Albert Lea Select Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and personal donations. Lana also made some improvements in organization of the drawers holding the seed packets and to the Seed Library’s inventory system. Preliminary stats from 2023 show impressive numbers:
3,445 Coin Envelopes added to Seed Library:
Edibles - 2,024
Flowers - 622
Herbs - 301
Natives - 498 (collected w/help of DC Parks & Environmental Resources Dept.)
3,362 Total Number of Checkouts (rough estimate)
11 DC Master Gardeners volunteering 2 hours of time
1,817 seed packages ready to label
Kudos to the Farmington Library and Master Gardener volunteers for a successful 2023 for the Seed Library and an impressive start for the 2024 growing season!
Thank you to Barbara Svoboda, Farmington Library Manager, for providing information and statistics for Seed Library activity. What a great service to the community!
Annual Poetry Contest
Over 190 individuals participated in Dakota County Library’s annual Poetry Contest which is a 22% increase in participation from the previous year. The Poetry Contest supports local poets of all ages, creative writing, and community connection to the library. The parents of one student, who placed second in the 12-14 ages category, reached out to the Library to express appreciation of how the contest encourages their children’s writing confirming program goals. They wrote:
“thank you so much for this honor for Rebecca! She really puts her heart into her writing. This means the WORLD to her, to be recognized for her poem. Thank you so very very much. You have really encouraged Rebecca, in continuing to pursue her writing abilities.”
The program is made possible with sponsorship from the Dakota County Library Foundation..