Learn how libraries across the United States have dealt with the effects of recent climate events in their communities, and how their long term commitment to climate action helped in a time of immediate need. Libraries in certain areas are witnessing extreme temperatures, flash floods, tornado and hurricane damage, and severe drought affecting the communities they serve. You will leave this workshop with a practical framework to provide accurate information through programs and services while building relationships, trust and credibility in your community. Through group work you will be able to justify and advocate that library work is climate work.
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JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Important to write Sustainability into job descriptions.
Sustainability coordinator to work across all areas and departments of the library.
Notes:
"A Just Transition"
"Place Based Learning Communities" PDLC
Sustainable purchasing policies
In 2021, a bike organization created an outdoor gear library to serve as a free resource to mitigate access to outdoor adventure cycling in and around the Atlanta metro area. A bike community for trans folks, gender expansive folks, and women, and who centers BIPOC individuals, a gear library was created to address the inaccessibility in bikepacking and cycling. The library serves as a free resource to mitigate access to outdoor gear—the cost of which is often prohibitive and one of the largest barriers to entry in cycling and to the outdoors. In 2022, biking as an outdoor activity saw 22.9% growth in the U.S, though gender, ethnicity, income, and education level remains a predictor of participation. While Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQIA+ individuals' participation increased, white males with higher incomes continue to correspond to higher participation rates.[1]
With the support of stakeholders and gear producers in the bike community, the organization was able to establish partnerships to build a collection of quality gear. Items in the gear library collection consist of bike bags, tents, sleeping bags, and navigational tools such as bike computers. Outreach to the local cycling community includes group bike camping overnights, skillshare classes introducing bikepacking for beginners, and “rider’s advisory” interactions. The organization also promotes the gear library through mainstream social media channels, and has also been featured in articles on Bicycling.com and Bikepacking.com.
Built on traditional LIS frameworks, the organization has also shared this framework and best practices to other community-driven cycling organizations who wish to start their own libraries for their respective communities. This presentation will discuss ways in how libraries can move beyond traditional collections, and build partnerships with industry stakeholders to work toward gender inclusiveness and BIPOC representation in the outdoors.
[1]Outdoor Industry Association. (2023). 2023 Outdoor Participation Trends Report. https://oia.outdoorindustry.org/resource/2023-outdoor-participation-trends-report
Learning Objectives:
Notes:
Lower the barrier to entry / increasing access / gender diversity & racial equity / access to outdoors should be free / Relationship building
Libraries are committed to advancing sustainability. The United Nations 2030 Agenda is a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that provides a concrete framework for libraries to take action. The SDGs aim to end poverty by 2030 and universally promote shared economic prosperity, social development, and environmental protection. With less than a decade to deliver on the Goals, we must act collectively with our international community. The proposed learning lab provides an opportunity for libraries to further the SDGs and mobilize social responsibility and community change via the design and use of Information Action Briefs (IABs). As an active learning space, the learning lab promotes dialogue, sharing of library practices, learning to produce an IAB, and opportunities to take action to promote sustainable development.
The IAB is a resource guide to implement transformational actions using information to advance the SDGs. Each focuses on an SDG and addresses: What is our goal? Why should we care? How is this related to information? What can I (or the profession) do? and includes an infographic related to the SDG. The IAB is designed to inspire and mobilize the library and information community, including the participants, to act locally or globally, personally or collectively.
The participants will learn to develop the IABs, which are hosted on the Libraries for Sustainable Development (LSD) website (https://sdglibact.web.illinois.edu) of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs. The LSD is a portal to learn about actions being taken by library and information organizations, and professional associations, such as ALA, and to connect with resources, such as the IABs, to advance the SDGs worldwide. The LSD is a project of the Mortenson Center’s Libraries for Peace initiative that promotes the role of libraries to advance peace internationally (http://librariesforpeace.org/).
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Explore one public library system’s journey of going green with their summer reading challenge, and discover how you, too, can implement this innovative design. This non-traditional format eliminated typical plastic toy incentives by teaming up with local non-profits in order to help the local community. Instead of earning small prizes, readers worked towards communal goals to make tangible, positive impacts in their community. They also learned about the animals, people, and environments they were helping, while earning eco-friendly e-badges, experiences, and free books. Families embraced the new model introduced in 2022, resulting in record participation that rose even higher in 2023. You’ll learn practical tips, hear about the successes and the stumbling blocks, have the opportunity to brainstorm what could work in your community, and be inspired to re-imagine your library’s summer program.
Learning Objectives:
Notes:
Incentives are experiential and/or biodegradable / eco-friendly e-badges / work toward communal goal.
4 books/activities to for each participant to complete in each of the 3 missions. Each mission is time released for each month so that they can't all be done in June. The idea is to increase engagement and encourage kids to come to library throughout the summer. = incremental goals.
Contribution is not tied to participation.
Work with school to make sure library summer reading program is their summer reading program.
Take advantage of the popularity of Buy Nothing groups and little free neighborhood stations by hosting swaps at your library. Community swaps are easy, no-cost, popular events that promote reducing waste, allow guests to save money by picking up new-to-them items, and give your patrons the opportunity to make new connections.
This session will give you sample frameworks for different types of swaps. It will also include ideas for potential community partners and ways libraries can incorporate the items provided in swaps into related programming. Whether it's plants, costumes, books, or clothing, your library is the perfect place for guests to pick up something they didn't know they needed.
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