When it comes to sustainability, “little things add up.”
That’s what science librarian René Tanner—one of the dozens of librarians and experts whose actions American Libraries highlights in our Sustainability Issue—tells us. At a time when climate change seems impervious to the realities of workplace budgets and staff bandwidth, Tanner’s words ring as a salve and an appeal.
When our team began planning this issue, we wanted to show the many entry points for essential and overdue sustainability work—whether environmental, financial, or social justice–based—so that libraries can help their communities adapt to uncertain futures.
Our coverage spans from individual librarians to groups taking collective action, from institutions making small commitments to those shifting strategic priorities. We share how patrons are communing with nature and rallying around a larger cultural movement. And we show that libraries—from bootstrapped rural outposts to urban systems with big budgets, elementary schools to research universities, and every kind in between—are discovering new ways to act.
In this package you’ll find:
- an illustrated showcase of eco-friendly Library of Things items popping up in collections across the US and Canada
- a panel discussion with five sustainability leaders on actions communities can take to create a cultural shift around climate change
- a timeline of milestones in the American Library Association’s—and library world’s—commitment to conservation
- a column by pioneering sustainability librarian Rebekkah Smith Aldrich on how libraries can stay relevant and responsive as devastating climate events persist
- a list of 27 low-lift green ideas that libraries of any size or type can implement
We hope these resources and conversations assist you in both creating systemic change and taking on the “little things.”
