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Sustainability is a promise we make to future generations that libraries will continue to be cornerstones of community life and prosperity. Recognized as a core value of our profession, sustainability is one of the five essential values guiding our work and decisions to balance environmental stewardship, societal well-being, and economic feasibility. Aldo Leopold, a writer […]
Photo: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection With the acceleration of human-driven climate change, libraries are playing an increased role in helping their communities navigate environmental calamities. The downtown public library in Asheville, North Carolina, for instance, was a beacon of connectivity after flooding from Hurricane Helene disrupted the area’s Wi-Fi service in September […]
1989ALA creates the Task Force on the Environment, timed with Earth Day’s 20th anniversary in 1990. The task force is now part of the Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT). 1990ALA introduces Environmental Issues to its Policy Manual, urging librarians and library governing boards to “collect and provide information [to patrons] on the condition of our Earth, its […]
At nearly every talk I’ve given on climate change and libraries over roughly a decade, someone in the audience asks how I remain hopeful in the face of climate scientists’ predictions. I am not, I clarify, hopeful that we will turn the tide on the impacts of climate change—at least not in my lifetime. But […]
