American Libraries Magazine | The magazine of the American Library Association

Libraries in the LEED

Posted: Jul. 19, 2011.

Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library

Green building has come into its own. On February 3, President Obama announced his Better Buildings Initiative, designed to reduce energy use among commercial buildings by 20%. Currently, all federal buildings newly built or renovated must achieve at least a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating.

Turning Bean-Counters into Tree-Huggers

Posted: Jun. 25, 2011.

Money is one of the factors that can hamper green construction efforts. “Too often people think sustainability is only for the rich,” said Tim Duggan, landscape architect for the Make it Right Foundation, in the LLAMA President’s Program, “Community Beyond Housing.” But finances can also turn skeptics into enthusiasts.

Fresh Veggies @ your library

Posted: Jun. 9, 2011.

Fairfield (Conn.) Public Library’s Fairfield Woods branch hosted a community- supported agriculture (CSA) pick-up June 6, the first in a weekly series at the library.

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Trumbull’s Solar Solution

Posted: Apr. 26, 2011.

A patron examines the informational kiosk about Trumbull Library’s new solar pan

Trumbull (Conn.) Library recently received a valuable green gift: 18 solar panels capable of generating 4 kW of power.

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Seed Lending Libraries Bloom

Posted: Apr. 6, 2011.

Graphic promoting the San Francisco Seed Library

San Francisco Public Library’s Potrero branch has opened a seed-lending library, making it at least the fourth public library with such a program.

Seed libraries allow patrons to “check out” carefully organized vegetable seeds to plant on their own. After harvesting the crops, they save and return seeds to be used in the next growing season.

Signing Off . . . For Now

Posted: Dec. 22, 2010.

After 12 months of serving as the Green Your Library blogger, I am stepping aside to give other talented individuals the chance to share their green stories, and to tend to family matters.

What’s Your New Year’s Resolution?

Posted: Dec. 17, 2010.

One of my professional resolutions for 2011 is to become more techno-savvy. Though I use technology every day, I often feel as if I’m falling behind. So many new things to discover, so little time.

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Library Offers Its Patrons Green Holiday Season Alternative

Posted: Dec. 10, 2010.

Americans produce an alarming amount of added waste during the holiday season. How much more? According to recycleworks.org, we produce 25% more from Thanksgiving to New Year’s than at any other time of the year. The result: about 1 million additional tons of garbage added to our landfills each week during the holidays. That’s a lot of garbage!

245-Square-Foot Library Is a Success Story

Posted: Nov. 24, 2010.

Just one short year ago, the Chicago Public Library introduced a tiny outpost with reference books for visitors to read while in the building, a small collection for Chicago library card holders to check out, and a pick-up location for materials ordered online by card holders in one of the city’s busiest visitors center, the renovated

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America Recycles Day’s Main Message: Begin with the End in Mind

Posted: Nov. 18, 2010.

Libraries are filled to the brim with digital technology including PCs, printers, copiers, scanners, and more. When they work, it’s great. But sooner or later, they all go south, and now e-waste is the fastest growing category of waste according to the EPA.

So what’s a library to do?

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