The Mosholu Library is one of the borough’s rare public depositories with one singular amenity: a spacious backyard used for daily programming.

It was only natural that the sleepy patio was ideal for a tiny greenhouse funded by a private grant. It debuted on May 24, capping several months of preparation by library staffers. It rests at a corner of the hooded yard, a translucent hut that traps heat used to nourish budding plants.

“We’re one of the lucky libraries that actually has a backyard,” said Lauren Uruchima, one of the branch’s senior librarians. “There’s always been that missing link; like, ‘what could we do back here that can strictly come from the library perspective?’”

The Charles H. Revson Foundation, a charitable organization, awarded $1700 to fund the project. Nicole Celic, one of the library’s information assistants and a Norwood resident with some horticultural experience, planted the seed for establishing a greenhouse after peering out of the yard. She thought the greenhouse project was a “cool way to utilize the backyard, and we could beautify it too.”

An internal committee thought so too, green-lighting it for the library system’s “Innovation Project,” an initiative intended to bolster library services. The Mosholu Library won a grant last year, using the funds to teach a first-ever computer building class, continuing its trend for more children’s activities.

“I encourage my staff to try new things,” said Jane Addison-Amoyaw, Mosholu Library’s head librarian.

For the Mosholu Library, the greenhouse represents a new frontier of programming, a cornerstone to the neighborhood library. Celic hopes the greenhouse will allow children to “learn about plants, and how things work, and have firsthand experience for themselves.”

For security reasons, the library will only use the greenhouse for its own programming. The public will not be allowed to enter on its own.

“It’s not like a class setting,” said Joel Tavares, another information assistant for the library. “They’re actually doing something—planting, then explaining what certain things are, what tools they use, what the greenhouse will do to the plants.”

But just what kinds of permanent activities will germinate is still unknown. It’ll need some time to grow.