sustainability in libraries Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Dewey Decibel: Libraries and Sustainability

Dewey Decibel Podcast: Libraries and Sustainability

July 17, 2020

In Episode 52, Dewey Decibel talks with librarians who are implementing sustainable practices in both their libraries and their lives. First, American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price speaks with Gabrielle Griffis, assistant youth services librarian at Brewster (Mass.) Ladies Library, about the Blue Marble Librarians, a group that helped promote Climate Prep Week across the state … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Libraries and Sustainability →

Libby the Librarian greets students at University of Pretoria Libraries in South Africa. Photo: Mariki Uitenweerde/University of Pretoria in South Africa

What the Future Holds

By Carrie Smith | June 1, 2020

Here we offer insights and predictions from five library thinkers who shared their perspectives at the Symposium on the Future of Libraries during the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2020 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits. From core values such as privacy and sustainability to more novel innovations such as the use of robots, we explore what the … Continue reading What the Future Holds →

Sustainability in Libraries, by Allison Brungard and Jennifer Bartek

Sustaining Sustainability

To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day—and recognize the American Library Association adding sustainability as a core value—American Libraries returns with its ongoing sustainability series. In these posts, information professionals share their experiences with sustainability in libraries. Bailey Library, where we work, is located in the heart of Slippery Rock University’s (SRU) campus in rural western … Continue reading Sustaining Sustainability →

Sustainability in Libraries, by Sandra Avila, Megan Haught, and Christina C. Wray

You Belong Here

By Christina C. Wray and Megan Haught and Sandra Avila | May 13, 2020

To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day—and recognize the American Library Association adding sustainability as a core value—American Libraries returns with its ongoing sustainability series. In these posts, information professionals share their experiences with sustainability in libraries. We decided to team up with UCF Arboretum staff to teach students more about the unique habitats … Continue reading You Belong Here →

Sustainability in Libraries by By Terence O’Neill, Stephanie C. Perentesis, and Eric Tans

Paint It Green

By Eric Tans and Stephanie C. Perentesis and Terence O'Neill | April 30, 2020

To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day—and recognize the American Library Association adding sustainability as a core value—American Libraries returns with its ongoing sustainability series. In these posts, information professionals share their experiences with sustainability in libraries. The Sustainability Canvas is adapted from the Business Model Canvas (BMC), the one-sheet graphic organizer found in Alexander Osterwalder … Continue reading Paint It Green →

Sustainability in Libraries: Lisa G. Kropp

Enduring, Disrupting, and Thriving

By Lisa G. Kropp | April 28, 2020

To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day—and recognize the American Library Association adding sustainability as a core value—American Libraries returns with its ongoing sustainability series. In these posts, information professionals share their experiences with sustainability in libraries. Although I wrote that sentence in March 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, that is … Continue reading Enduring, Disrupting, and Thriving →

Sustainability in Libraries: Mandi Goodsett

Hosting a Sustainability Speaker Series

By Mandi Goodsett | April 24, 2020

To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day—and recognize the American Library Association adding sustainability as a core value—American Libraries returns with its ongoing sustainability series. In these posts, information professionals share their experiences with sustainability in libraries. Two years ago, the Sustainability Interest Group of Cleveland State University’s (CSU) Michael Schwartz Library decided that … Continue reading Hosting a Sustainability Speaker Series →

Sustainability in Libraries: Sally Romero

Sustainability and Academic Libraries

By Sally Romero | April 22, 2020

To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day—and recognize the American Library Association adding sustainability as a core value—American Libraries returns with its ongoing sustainability series. In these posts, information professionals share their experiences with sustainability in libraries. Librarians and library workers can implement sustainable ideas in their library and integrate learning-by-doing into the educational … Continue reading Sustainability and Academic Libraries →

Solar panels on the roof of McMillan Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Photo: McMillan Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

By the Numbers: Libraries and Sustainability

By Alison Marcotte | March 2, 2020

Earth Day will be observed April 22. 1 Year ago the American Library Association (ALA) added sustainability as a core value of librarianship. At the 2019 Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, ALA Council committed to the triple bottom-line framework for sustainability: practices that are environmentally sound, economically feasible, and socially equitable. 50 Number of years Earth … Continue reading By the Numbers: Libraries and Sustainability →

Waste Not, Want Not

By Larissa Clotildes | March 2, 2020

I am not denying the educational value of crafts. They stimulate creativity, develop fine motor skills, and engage multiple senses in a learning experience. But I challenge myself to find activities that do not produce single-use waste, without sacrificing everything that makes crafts so great. I use the five Rs as my baseline: Refuse. Reject … Continue reading Waste Not, Want Not →

What Does Green Mean?

By Kayla Kuni | March 2, 2020

Sustainability initiatives often focus primarily on environmentalism, that is, the importance of reducing the footprint we leave on our physical spaces and habitats in order to preserve them over time. Social and financial measures are just as important to the longevity of our work, and by incorporating these principles into our programming, we can help … Continue reading What Does Green Mean? →

Matthew Bollerman and Rebekkah Smith Aldrich.

Answering the Sustainability Question

By Phil Morehart | January 25, 2020

Aldrich, executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System in Poughkeepsie, New York, began by stressing the urgent need for libraries to address climate change, resilience, and sustainability, both in promotion and practice. “There is nothing bigger in this world today than climate change,” she said. “This will be getting worse, if we don’t change things. … Continue reading Answering the Sustainability Question →

Latest Library Links

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On August 4, ALA President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. paid a virtual visit to the Jemez Pueblo (N. Mex.) Community Library to discuss the dire need for broadband access among tribal communities and the central role libraries can play in connecting diverse populations with high-speed internet access. This event, “The Imperative of Broadband for Tribal Libraries,” was one of the stops on Jefferson’s 12-stop virtual tour, Holding Space.
ALA Communications and Marketing Office, July 31
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services released the latest data from its 2018 Public Libraries Survey on July 31. The Public Libraries Survey collects information on key indicators of public library use, financial health, staffing, and resources. Explore the FY 2018 data and documentation or query the Library Search and Compare Tool. Each year since 1988, the survey has provided a national census of America’s public libraries. The data are collected from approximately 9,000 public library systems composed of more than 17,000 individual main libraries, branches, and bookmobiles in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories.
Institute of Museum and Library Services, July 31
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Much has been happening behind the scenes to prepare for Core’s upcoming launch on September 1st, and the Core Transition Committee provided an update. Core staff members have been working with ALA staff to build new systems and structures so that we can start the day on September 1 as a (relatively!) organized Core community. So far work has been done on changes in the member database, budget lines, new sections, and membership dues. During August, staff will be working on the new website, Connect site, committee rosters, online learning setup, new communication channels, and other infrastructure pieces.
ALCTS. Aug. 3
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University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries has been digitizing the largest collection of historic Mexican cookbooks in the US. The pandemic has brought that project to a halt, but the library is now releasing recipes from the collection in free ebooks. Postres: Guardando Lo Mejor Para el Principio, or Desserts: Saving the Best for First, brings recipes in English and Spanish from generations of Mexican cooks to foodies at home looking to whip up some historic sweets.
Gastro Obscura, July 29
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Thor Benson writes: “Back in February, the World Health Organization called the flood of misinformation about the coronavirus flowing through the Internet a “massive infodemic.” Since then, the situation has not improved. While social media platforms have promised to detect and label posts that contain misleading information related to COVID-19, they haven’t stopped the surge. But who is responsible for all those misleading posts?”
IEEE Spectrum, July 29
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A new Pew Research Center analysis of surveys conducted between October 2019 and June 2020 finds that those who rely most on social media for political news are less likely to follow major news stories, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election, and tend to be less knowledgeable about these topics. Demographically, US adults who rely most on social media for news tend to be younger, are less likely to be white, and have lower levels of education than those who mainly use several other platforms.
Pew Research Center, July 30
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Maggie MacPherson writes: “Public library buildings are safe shelters and economic drivers that quietly operate within every community. They live in the bricks-and-mortar space as well as the virtual, assisting patrons with such life basics as finding employment, starting their own businesses and teaching their kids to read. During the pandemic, libraries had to close their buildings to the general book-reading public, but facilities were used in different ways, for example, as food bank distribution centers and emergency computer labs for low-income groups. In recent weeks, they have slowly started to reopen, with a renewed understanding of the unique and essential role libraries play within the physical community.”
Toronto Globe and Mail, July 28

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