Sustainable Thinking at Any Size: How to Integrate Sustainable Thinking in All Libraries

Since the ALA’s adoption of sustainability as a core value of librarianship in 2019 and as highlighted by President Patty Wong in her 2021 ALA Conference inaugural address, this issue is rising in prominence not just among library professionals, but in society at large. It is important to take immediate action to mitigate the effects of climate change and prepare for the changes that cannot be reversed. However, there remains a need for guidance on how library leaders can take an active, visible role in building sustainable and resilient communities. In this presentation, Annemarie Gordon from the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) will share examples of libraries from different geographic areas and sizes where the triple bottom line definition of sustainability was used as a guiding factor in a variety of library operations. This triple bottom line definition used by the SLI encompasses environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic feasibility to guide decision-making, prepare your library for future disruption, and help support your organization’s resilience. This presentation will introduce this organization and its award-winning premier product, the Sustainable Library Certification Program, which is a guided step-by-step benchmarking program to build a foundation of sustainable thinking in your library. Through the examples shown, attendees will understand that using sustainability as a lens in decision-making is possible in libraries of all sizes and is more important than ever.