Columbine seeds do not last very long in general so I would toss the 1997 packet. To test columbine seed for viability is a bit tricky. It might germinate at room temp, but it will do much better with a cold spell and sometimes even with just fluctuations in temp from day to night. So you could leave seed in a pot for months and see nothing but the seed is actually good. I recommend winter sowing of columbines for best success. Of course this is no good for germination testing, but like I said at the beginning, it isn't viable for very long, a few years at the most.
Remy

Thanks for your input..Did I read somewhere that columbines don't like to be transplanted? Of course, they reseed like crazy and sometimes where you never planted them. Have a bunch of new plants that have popped up and I'm wondering if I should just leave them where they are or transplant them up front. Maybe they are short because they are young, newly reseeded plants.

On no you can transplant them just fine. I've done it many times.
Remy