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One Library's Efforts to Cut Paper Use

Submitted by Laura Bruzas on Thu, 02/04/2010 - 10:58
The Stickney-Forest View Public Library District Board

The Stickney-Forest View Public Library District Board, from left: Joe Lopez, Secretary Marjorie Blatter, Jason Bruscato, Christ Dumas, Francesca Drnek, President Sylvia Hosek, and Treasurer Lisa Santilli.



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The U.S. consumes more paper and paper products per capita than any other country in the world. The Stickney-Forest View Public Library District Board of Trustees (from left: Joe Lopez, Secretary Marjorie Blatter, Jason Bruscato, Christ Dumas, Francesca Drnek, President Sylvia Hosek, and Treasurer Lisa Santilli) recognized an opportunity to make a difference, so they made a few changes. First, they decided to stop using paper cups three years ago. Now they’re sending out board packets via e-mail which will reduce their paper consumption by approximately 3,000 pieces annually, saving landfill space and the energy and resources needed to manufacture it. Bravo!

Below are 10 simple yet effective measures that most libraries can take today to help use less paper:  

  1. Reduce paper margins
  2. Print on both sides of the paper
  3. Clean up mailing lists
  4. Switch to online versions of patron newsletters and forms
  5. Think twice before printing a document
  6. Deliver reports and board packets via e-mail
  7. Maintain a copy of documents and reports on CD versus hard copies in filing cabinets
  8. Send e-mail notices to patrons versus printed snail-mail versions
  9. Have staff drink their beverages from reusable mugs versus paper cups
  10. Switch to envelope-less self-mailers or use postcards if a message is brief

The above initiatives are only a sampling of steps that libraries can implement to help make a difference. Each one, though small, can also save your library money. More on this subject in an upcoming blog post.

See the Nature Conservancy for more about deforestation and climate change.

What is your library doing to make a difference?  Add a comment and share your ideas.
 

Comments

Greening our summer reading clubs

In 2009 we looked at how we could go greener in our summer reading clubs. Our theme was the same for all age groups: Read Green. We featured booklists on green themes on our Website, offered programs about living green, and took steps to reduce our paper use and overall environmental impact in our own operations. The printer was able to offer vegetable inks for those items we did print.

One big step was online club registration for all ages. Beyond that we went to totally paperless patron participation for teens and adults, all of whom tracked their reading at our web site. Teens loved it and adults were fine with it, too. To keep from excluding patrons without home computers, terminals were set aside in the library for patrons to use in recording their reading; Teen Advisory Board members helped those with questions. In spite of all the online activity, summer-month circulation improved across the board as compared to 2008; patrons were still coming in, browsing and checking out materials. We saw no negative impact from going electronic.
 
In the kids’ room, we planned crafts using recycled art supplies and papers. We did continue to use paper reading records for young kids because they get such a kick out of rubberstamping them with their progress, and we think it’s important to provide positive reinforcement across the desk, but we saved thousands of sheets of paper by two really easy methods:
  • We asked kids to take their endorsed reading records to local merchants instead of printing separate coupons for them to present; and
  • We reduced the cut size of some standard forms for kids and parents, from 4 to a page, to 6 or even 9.
 
The library had already stopped using plastic bags for patrons at checkout, and instead now stocks canvas bags for free use in the building and for sale at checkout. Many were given away as prizes in last summer’s clubs. Recently we’ve also gone from paper attachments for board packets, to just one paper packet to be routed, saving a little more paper every month.
 
Thanks for the blog. We’ll be watching for more ways to go greener!
Submitted by Joyce Fisher @ Washington-Centerville Public Library (not verified) on Tue, 02/23/2010 - 18:22.