1989
ALA creates the Task Force on the Environment, timed with Earth Day’s 20th anniversary in 1990. The task force is now part of the Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT).
1990
ALA introduces Environmental Issues to its Policy Manual, urging librarians and library governing boards to “collect and provide information [to patrons] on the condition of our Earth, its air, ground, water, and living organisms from all available sources.”
1999
ALA and Global Learning Inc. partner on the two-year, grant-funded Libraries Build Sustainable Communities project, offering resources and workshops to members.
2005
Los Angeles Public Library’s Lake View Terrace branch is the first library to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC), per the council’s database. Platinum is USGBC’s highest LEED rating.
2009
Anythink Brighton library in Colorado becomes the first carbon-negative library in the US.
The National Endowment for the Humanities launches its Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant program, providing funding for libraries, archives, and museums to implement energy-efficient preservation practices.
2013
ALA establishes SustainRT, which offers libraries and library workers resources to implement environmentally focused initiatives.
2015
ALA adopts the Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries during its Annual Conference in San Francisco. It calls for the Association to encourage library workers to “be proactive in their application of sustainable thinking in the areas of their facilities, operations, policy, technology, programming, partnerships, and library school curricula.”
2019
ALA adds sustainability to the Core Values of Librarianship. It carries over to a new set of core values in 2024. “By supporting climate resiliency, library workers create thriving communities and care for our common good for a better tomorrow,” the value states.
Three New York libraries become the first to be certified under the Sustainable Library Certification Program. The program is offered through the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI), in which institutions receive mentorship and other resources to complete a robust list of action items that further their “environmental stewardship, economic feasibility, and social equity.”
2021
At ALA’s virtual Annual Conference, Council adopts a resolution to pursue carbon neutrality for all ALA conferences starting in 2025.
2022
The ALA Council Committee on Sustainability releases Sustainability in Libraries: A Call to Action, a briefing that outlines the threat of climate change and what information professionals can do to offset the impact.
2023
ALA and SLI announce plans to create a National Climate Action Strategy, a guide to help library workers advance toward climate change mitigation, adaptation, and climate justice efforts. The guide was published in 2024.
2024
The Council on Library and Information Resources begins the six-part Climate Resiliency Action Series. The final two free workshops take place on March 13 and April 9, 2025. Learn more at climate-resiliency.clir.org.
