National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries Now Available
                                                   The American Library Association and Sustainable Libraries Initiative have teamed up to
                                                provide a clear strategy and implementation guide on climate action for the library community

                   

                 New York - July 24, 2024 – Climate change has been called the grandest challenge of our generation and now the U.S. library community has more assistance to ensure their libraries are thriving in the face of that challenge and contributing to their community’s resilience.

In partnership with the Executive Board of the American Library Association, the Sustainable Libraries Initiative Advisory Board undertook an ambitious project to create a National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries (NCAS) and Implementation Guide. Both were announced during ALA President Emily Drabinski’s opening welcome remarks at the 2024 ALA Annual Conference in San Diego, California, in front of the 13,000 ALA members present that afternoon.  

“We know how important the role of libraries is when it comes to addressing climate change and the very survival of our planet,” Drabinski said. “I’m excited that the National Climate Action Strategy Working Group is raising awareness of this critical issue and offering practical tips so librarians from all types of libraries can do our part.”  

After a decade of work, the team at the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, along with more than 150 participants engaged in the Sustainable Library Certification Program, have identified patterns and areas of impact that helped to help shape a national climate action strategy. This was combined with the efforts of a stellar working group made up of library professionals known for their leadership on the topic of sustainability throughout the profession. A national survey was conducted in early 2024 to identify barriers to implementation to help inform the implementation guide which is now also available.

The strategy itself is only one page. To the point, it lists three categories of effort and specific actions to prioritize at your library: Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Change Adaptation & Contributions Community Resilience, and Climate Justice Work. 

“There is no doubt that this will take strategic, deliberate prioritization by library administrators, trustees, and, in fact – all library stakeholders,” said Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Co-Founder of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and principal author of the strategy and implementation guide, “With the rapid change climate impacting all corners of our country, libraries can no longer afford to ignore their role in making a difference for their communities when it comes to actively reducing environmental impact and adapting to the existing consequences.”

All involved in the project agree: By integrating climate action into a library’s strategic and facility plans, we can ensure that libraries remains a vital and responsive resource that truly make an impact on lives for generations to come. 

The NCAS implementation guide is now available and helps unpack each area of the strategy, introduces you to core concepts, provides you with simple steps to get started, and is chock full of resources and examples to help you accelerate your work in this area. 

Access the National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries and Implementation Guide at https://www.sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/national-climate-action-strategy-libraries

National Climate Action Plan for Libraries Working Group Members:

Principal Author: Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Executive Director, Mid-Hudson Library System and the Co-Founder/President of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI)

Principal Advisors, SLI Advisory Board: Matthew Bollerman, SLI Co-Founder and CEO of the Hauppauge Public Library; Dr. Jen Cannell, School Library System Director at Southern Westchester BOCES and instructor at Syracuse University and St. John Fisher University; Jennifer Ferriss, Assistant Director of the Saratoga Springs Public Library (NY);  and Lisa Kropp, Director of the Lindenhurst Memorial Library (NY)

Principal Advisors, ALA Executive Board: Sara Dallas, Director, Southern Adirondack Library System; and ALA Executive Board Member; Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada, the Immediate ALA Past President and City of Glendale Assistant Director of Library, Arts and Culture in Southern California; and Christina Rodriques, Senior Program Manager for Member Relations at OCLC and ALA Executive Board Member. 

National Climate Action Working Group Members:

Jensen Adams, Sustainability Manager, City of Kansas City and Chair of the ALA Council Committee on Sustainability; 

Stacey Aldrich, State Librarian of Hawaii and Chair of the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries; 

Tina Chan, Reference Services Program Manager and Humanities Librarian, MIT Libraries and Immediate Past Coordinator of the ALA Sustainability Round Table; 

Beth Filar Williams, User Experience Research librarian at Oregon State University Libraries and Press and Founding Member, ALA Sustainability Round Table; 

Mandi Goodsett, Performing Arts & Humanities Librarian and OER & Copyright Advisor at Cleveland State University and Coordinator of the ALA Sustainability Round Table; 

Susan Hempstead; Assistant Director of Strategic Relations at Sno-Isle Libraries in Washington State; 

Katina Jones, Program Manager, Evaluation & Assessment, Public Library Association

Veronda J. Pitchford, Assistant Director of Califa Group; 

Mary Sauer-Games, Vice President of Global Product Management for OCLC; 

Colleen Seisser, YALSA 2023-24 President, Assistant Director at the Westmont Public Library in Westmont, Illinois; 

Michele Stricker, Deputy State Librarian, New Jersey; 

Eira Tansey, Memory Rising.

About the Sustainable Libraries Initiative  
The Sustainable Libraries Initiative is a member-driven organization that empowers library professionals to be leaders in triple-bottom-line sustainability (environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic feasibility) both within their organizations and in their communities. The Sustainable Library Certification Program is now enrolling public and academic libraries internationally and school librarians throughout New York State. For more information, visit https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/  

About the American Library Association  
The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For over 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.