Certified Sustainable  |  Library Design
by Lisa Peet

NYLA’s benchmarking system helps libraries, step by step,
attain organization wide sustainability

When the New York Library Association (NYLA) Council adopted its Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries in early 2014—the American Library Association (ALA) passed its own version at the June 2015 annual conference—it stated that NYLA “enthusiastically encourages activities by its membership—and itself—to be proactive in their application of sustainable thinking in the areas of their facilities, operations, policy, technology, programming and ­partnerships.”

As of November 2017, NYLA has moved beyond enthusiastic encouragement to structured guidance with the launch of its Sustainable Libraries Certification Program (SLCP). The multipart benchmarking system developed by the NYLA Sustainability Initiative (SI) leads library administration, staff, and boards through a process to help them create and maintain sustainable organizations.

SLCP combines actionable steps, policy suggestions, and data-gathering tools; participants also receive support from technical advisors and one another through in-person and online meet-ups and webinars. The program’s 12 categories include….Read the full article here.

Steve chats with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Coordinator for Library Sustainability at the Mid-Hudson Library System in New York and author of Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Library’s Future in an Uncertain World.

Author of Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Library’s Future in an Uncertain World and Resilience, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich has been a public library development consultant since 1998. Rebekkah currently holds the position of Coordinator for Library Sustainability at the Mid-Hudson Library System in New York where she assists 66 public libraries in the areas of governance, management, funding and facilities. Rebekkah is a certified Sustainable Building Advisor (cSBA),  Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and a holds an advanced certificate in Public Library Administration from the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University. A founding member of the American Library Association’s Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT), Rebekkah spearheaded the passage of the American Library Association’s Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries. Active in the New York Library Association (NYLA), Rebekkah is co-founder, and co-chair, of the NYLA Sustainability Initiative Committee. Named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2010, Rebekkah is Library Journal’s sustainability columnist and a frequent presenter at libraries and conferences around the US.

For the past several years the library world has been abuzz with the concept of “sustainable thinking.” Yes, we all want to help the environment and also ensure that libraries are on board too. But beyond being just a feel-good catchphrase, how does sustainable thinking translate into concrete action? Rebekkah Smith Aldrich explores exactly that in her new book, and in this interview she discusses how many libraries are taking the initiative in areas ranging from community outreach and programming to building design. 

You’ve done quite a bit of writing for various publications, including your regular column for Library Journal, but this is your first book. What was different about doing this kind of long-form piece? What were your biggest challenges?

At first, I thought to myself, no problem, it’s just like writing a series of articles like I do for Library Journal. I did the math, figured out my word count and went for it. But that approach really didn’t work. There is an element of storytelling necessary to make the case, build buy-in and inspire people to keep reading so they are primed for the work ahead.

It took me several tries to find the right “arc” to the story. Each chapter required that I have a plan, that I was purposefully helping the reader walk through the story as it had evolved for me over the past decade. Ensuring I carried the thread throughout the work rather than writing several 800-word essays that might come across as disjoined was important. The work was to balance the enormity of the topic with a call to action that then led the reader to pragmatic steps that library leaders could relate to, regardless of the size of their library. Keeping things simple, well-defined and justified definitely took more time than I had anticipated.

How did your experience as a founding member of New York Library Association’s Sustainability Initiative guide your book?….Read the full interview here.

We got a shout out on BookRiot!!

Buy it here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/565575596/librarian-bag-library-tote-bag-for

‘Tis the season to reflect back on the past twelve months and in doing so, I can’t help but be excited about what is going to happen in the coming year(s).

In 2017:

• The American Library Association’s Executive Board formed a Special Task Force on Sustainability, which I am co-chairing alongside Rene Tanner of Arizona State University
• The New York Library Association launched the first-of-its-kind Sustainable Library Certification Program and already has 15 libraries signed up
• Bill McKibbon spoke at the 2017 American Library Association Conference in Chicago
• I finished my book, which I have been working on for an awfully long time:  Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Library’s Future in an Uncertain World (available “any day now” from ALA Editions)
• I’m about to finish a second book on resilience for the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries and was named to the Center’s advisory board
• Living Building Challenge made the cover of Library Journal
• I was invited to be the closing keynote speaker at the Hawaiian Library Conference, their 2017 theme was “Sustainability: More than the Environment”
• Matt and I co-presented the keynote at Agents of Change: The Importance of Sustainability in Public Schools, Universities and Libraries.The event featured a who’s who of sustainability leadership in the largest city in the U.S. (the ninth largest city in the world for those playing along at home): New York, NY:
  • Mark Chambers, Director, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability
  • Meredith McDermott, Director of Sustainability, New York City Department of Education (the largest school system in the country)
  • Tria Case, University Director of Sustainability and NYSolar Smart, The City University of New York
  • Alex Mikszewski, Energy Manager, Brooklyn Public Library System
  • Garrett Bergen, Associate Director of Facilities Management, New York Public Library
  • Tameka Pierre-Louis, Sustainability and Energy Liaison Officer, Queens Library

Libraries are stepping up and owning their role as sustainability leaders in their community. In 2009 I started this journey in earnest and I couldn’t be more excited about where the path is leading. I look forward to working with you all to ensure libraries are catalysts for a brighter future for us all.

NYLA Council Approves Sustainable Library Certification Program; Historic Decision Launches First Benchmarking Initiative of Its Kind

View as PDF

The New York Library Association (NYLA) is proud to announce a one-of-a-kind opportunity for New York’s public libraries to step up as sustainability leaders in their communities: The Sustainable Library Certification Program.

The Council of NYLA approved the program at their August 10, 2017 meeting, on the recommendation of the NYLA Sustainability Initiative Committee (NYLA-SI), to help realize the goals of the Council’s own Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries. That resolution, passed February 6, 2014, articulated the commitment by NYLA to “…enthusiastically encourage activities by its membership – and itself – to be proactive in their application of sustainable thinking in the areas of their facilities, operations, policy, technology, programming and partnerships.”

The Sustainable Library Certification Program’s cutting-edge benchmarking system is designed to help libraries improve their “triple bottom line” as environmental stewards, economically feasible institutions and as community leaders that place great stock in social equity.

“This initiative exemplifies the commitment of NYLA and our member libraries to community leadership,” said Barbara Stripling, President of the New York Library Association. “It is our willingness to take on important issues, and help our communities find solutions, that ensures that libraries will always be an integral part of our communities.”

Organizations that achieve Certification through this program will:

1. reinforce their roles as leaders in their communities
2. ensure that sustainability remains part of their library’s process and practice in the future and
3. receive recognition for their commitment to making their communities more resilient, while making their communities stronger

“NYLA is thrilled to serve as a conduit for this important work, bringing together the efforts and passions of the dedicated members of the Sustainability Initiative,” said Jeremy Johannessen, NYLA Executive Director. “This certification program serves as an important step in ensuring the long-term vitality of the libraries in our state.”

The Committee has worked to create and assess a custom process modeled on what has proven successful in other industries – from the business world (e.g. B Corporation certification), to the world of construction (e.g. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification), to academia (e.g. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System). This tool fills the void in the library field.

The Sustainable Libraries Certification Program will be the first of its kind in the nation, if not the world. The program is designed to lead a library’s administration, board, and staff through a series of questions and activities that ultimately lead to creating a more sustainable, resilient, and regenerative library that is well positioned to help its community thrive.

Work a library will undertake to strengthen their organizational culture of sustainability through this program will include a variety of activities including an employee survey; policy development; data collection to benchmark resource usage; program design; and outreach efforts in your community. Technical assistance in completing the certification path will be provided.

This program is open to all public libraries in New York. There is a discounted rate structure through the end of 2017 for early adopters. Versions for the academic and school library community are currently in development.

To learn more please visit: www.nyla.org/sustainability

Subversive Librarians  |  Rebekkah Smith Aldrich  |  Library Journal  |  April 21, 2017

Overnight we went from a president who declared climate change as the single greatest threat to future generations to a president, and Senate, who appointed a climate change denier to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)… Read the full article here.

NYLA-SI Goes Zero Waste

Earlier this year the NYLA Sustainability Initiative Committee gathered at the NYLA headquarters in Guilderland, NY, to debrief from its inaugural year, process feedback received from the library community, and plan for the coming year.

When planning the event we went the extra mile to demonstrate what a “zero-waste” event could look like. A zero-waste event is one that reduces solid waste and captures any  recyclable and compostable materials such as cups, plates, and food scraps that are generated by the event in Zero-Waste stations.

Attendees were encouraged to bring their own refillable and reusable water bottles and their own coffee/tea receptacles. Organizers provided compostable plates, cutlery and several as cups – for those who forgot their water bottles

The event was eye opening from both the organizer and attendee perspective and surprisingly easy to do. It is interesting how small decisions can make a big impact.