When it comes to building resilient and equitable communities, libraries are natural leaders. We provide places where neighbors meet, learn, and support one another; where sustainability education becomes action; and where residents can find year-round climate refuge. When communities are resilient, they are better able to overcome barriers.
The Obama Presidential Center (OPC) branch of Chicago Public Library (CPL) is an example of a library that strengthens the social infrastructure that underpins resilience. CPL Commissioner Chris Brown describes the branch as a civic platform for residents, artists, educators, and organizations to cocreate the life of the library and its surrounding public spaces. Though just 5,000 square feet, OPC was designed to spark connection, invite conversation, and inspire activities that encourage socialization and enjoyment. The branch partners with such nonprofits as the Art Institute of Chicago, the literary arts group StoryStudio Chicago, and the artist-led alt_Chicago. OPC is a striking example of how libraries do not just serve resilient communities, they help create them.
On the Gulf Coast, sustainability is a daily requirement. Lindsay Cronk, dean of Tulane University Libraries in New Orleans, has shared that the library’s partnership with Keep Louisiana Beautiful, a state program, helps connect students, faculty, and staff with opportunities for conservation, beautification, recycling, and environmental action. Sustainability is a literacy issue, Cronk says. Just as we teach individuals to evaluate sources and navigate an information ecosystem, we can help communities understand environmental challenges and identify meaningful ways to respond.
Kelsey LaPort, a school librarian at Sunrise Drive Elementary School in Sayville, New York, has been committed to hands-on climate education. In addition to exploring research projects with her students, LaPort and STEAM teacher Jennifer Horton introduced a TerraCycle program in which students recycle hard-to-recycle items like applesauce pouches and juice boxes. Check out Guiding Youth from Eco-Anxiety to Empowerment: Climate Action Programming for School and Public Libraries (ALA Editions, August), LaPort’s new book coauthored with Noel Reich.
As Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, cofounder of the nonprofit Sustainable Libraries Initiative, says, “Libraries are a natural catalyst for community resilience [because of] our ability to draw people who normally may not come together to learn together, problem solve together, and be a part of something larger than themselves.” As she says, it provides folks a sense of purpose.
So how do we advance long-term resiliency? The first step is to engage in cross-sector and intergovernmental partnerships, social safety networks, and community-wide sustainability planning.
As we advance resiliency efforts locally, we also support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint for addressing global challenges like poverty and climate change by 2030.
To learn more about sustainability as a core value and scalable measures you can take, see the National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries Implementation Guide, and join the Sustainability Round Table. Also read ALA Past President Sam Helmick’s “Sustainability at Our Core” column from last year and check out the Sustainable Libraries Initiative.
We encourage you to be part of these conversations throughout the year, wherever you are, and to take a stand for climate justice.
