The Birth of a Blog

Submitted by Laura Bruzas on Wed, 01/20/2010 - 08:25

I don’t remember the exact date but vividly remember sending an e-mail to the host of PBS’s Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska after viewing an exceptionally good episode of her show.

To my great surprise, Wanda kindly replied and that was the beginning of what has become a warm friendship. Over a period of months, we exchanged numerous e-mails in which we shared tidbits of our lives—lives that we both intentionally live simply.

Our paths crossed in person when Wanda spoke at a program sponsored by American Libraries at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Chicago last year. She talked about giving the pink slip to SUIs (single use items), the value of transuming (renting versus buying) and how libraries are inherently green.

I couldn’t agree more.

At the end of Wanda’s talk, she asked audience members to share their library’s green efforts. I mentioned the recycling center that I created at my library for under $100. I also discovered that there were many kindred spirits in the audience eager to learn more about how to “green” their own library—especially with a limited budget.

The audience’s interest and enthusiasm did not go unnoticed. Thus, this blog was born.

Just about every time I enter a library, a new idea pops into my head about how it can be more eco-friendly. The great majority of these ideas would be easy to implement and cost next to nothing or nothing at all. So, it is with great appreciation that I have found a place to share these ideas. I hope you will join me for the journey.

Sneak peek! The $100 recycling center later this week.

Comments

Blog Post

Hi! I really like the idea for this blog and have added it to my RSS subscriptions. Yesterday(2/3/10) a post came through called "One Library’s Efforts to Cut Paper Use" and I can’t access the post because every time I click through, I get an access denied page. I’m a dues paying member of ALA and would really like to read this blog post because I’m in charge of green initiatives at my library. Please help! Thanks a bunch!

Submitted by Alyssa (not verified) on Thu, 02/04/2010 - 08:52.

Ooops

Alyssa, Thanks for your comment. It’s not that we were trying to restrict access to that post; my RSS feed settings were making pre-published posts appear in the feed. Oops! In other words, subscribers were seeing the title of a post we haven’t published yet. Keep an eye out for that article soon.

Best,
Sean Fitzpatrick
Web editor

Submitted by Sean Fitzpatrick on Thu, 02/04/2010 - 09:29.

Thanks so much for your quick

Thanks so much for your quick reply :-) I’m looking forward to reading that post!

Submitted by Alyssa (not verified) on Thu, 02/04/2010 - 10:58.

Greening ILL practices study just completed

Congratulations on the new blog, Laura!

You and your readers may be interested in a new study on greening interlibrary loan practices commissioned by OCLC Research.

I’ve just posted about the preliminary findings at hangingtogether.org.

Go green!

—Dennis Massie

Submitted by Dennis Massie, OCLC Research (not verified) on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 18:15.

Broad coverage needed

Congratulations on getting ALA to host your blog!

I would like to encourage you to consider including not just the garden variety [sorry, couldn’t resist) eco-tips but also deeper-going ideas like collecting grey literature and eco-friendly management practices. Grey literature includes local eco-publications, workshop handouts and the like that might be consigned to pamphlet files if they’re collected at all, as well as archival materials from local eco-organizations that might not otherwise find an accessible home. Management practices could include paying attention to employee commuting patterns, participating in local land use planning efforts, etc. I hope you’ll take a broad approach.

Submitted by Jonathan Betz-Zall (not verified) on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 12:40.

green libraries

Monika Antonelli has been a leader in this area. She has created the green libraries site at www.greenlibraries.org that has been a unique resource to those of us who are planning new buildings. She has also written for Library Journal, which hosts the Design Institute: Going Green since 2007—another superb resource.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 11:46.

Serendipity | How Green is My Library?

Congratulations on your new blog! My co-author, Ned Himmel, and I have just published the first book (subject title) that addresses this topic in both the realms of environmental design and operational practice. I imagine ABC_CLIO sent a copy to American Libraries; maybe you can get your hands on it… I am so excited that American Libraries is joining the emergent discussion in library world.

From the introduction by Jane Light, the Director of the San Jose Public Library -

"This practical guide provides essential information for anyone planning or responsible for library buildings and operations and maintenance. It combines “what to do” information about going green with “how to do it” guidance. Starting from basic definitions and ways to determine current status, it moves through how to actually develop and implement an action plan. It imparts the knowledge and confidence needed to lead such an effort.

Library managers, facilities managers, library boards of trustees, and students in library science programs will all benefit from this broad view of “green,” ranging from use of cleaning products to design and construction of new libraries. This unique book not only educates about sustainability but also helps the reader evaluate the current status of a library. Armed with that information, anyone can then use the processes outlined to develop and implement plans and projects to move their library further up the green scale.

Library buildings are special places. Very often, a library in a community or on a campus has more visitors than any other building. How users feel about the entire community is influenced by their experiences and perceptions of the library as a building, a space, and a set of services.

Thus, a library has the opportunity, and arguably the responsibility, to educate its users about sustainability and to serve as a model of best practices in sustainable design and operations. This book will help any reader to make a library more green and to do so in a way that informs, educates, and leads not only those who work in and use libraries but entire communities. "

The companion website will go live soon - in the interim feel free to contact us for more information.

sincerly,

Sam McBane Mulford

sam@strategicimp.com

Submitted by Sam McBane Mulford (not verified) on Wed, 01/27/2010 - 18:06.