Very nice one-page infographic outlining how libraries can contribute to social and economic development from Beyond Access – a movement of people and organizations committed to the idea that modern public libraries help drive economic and social development.

Library Journal has turned the spotlight on the efforts of a Nova Scotia Sustainability Center that worked with Dalhousie University’s library system to find new purposes for library discards. Building and inventor David Cameron stacked a wall of books, and covered the result with a mixture of clay, sand, and straw, called earth plaster to provide insulation for the re-purposed schoolhouse:

Photo credit: Library Journal

Random-ish thought: Environmental sustainability is defined by “the three Es,” in order for something to be truly sustainable it must address all three: environment, economics, and social equity. [Read more about this definition of sustainability here.]

Here are three possible Es for a Sustainable Library:

A place where patrons are:

• Empowered
• Engaged
• Energized

Handouts for the Grassroots Library Advocacy 101 presentation at the 2012 New York Library Association Conference

2012 has me broadening the scope of my thinking when it comes to how I define a  Sustainable Library. When I was writing the LJ article on Integrated Building Design last year I kept thinking: “why don’t we apply this type of thinking throughout our organizations?”

Right?!?!

If we take the definition of sustainability as “the capacity to endure” and thread that throughout our organizations, not just our facilities – the policies we write, the customer service expectations we have of our staff, the technology we deploy, the messages we send, all can contribute to having a sustainable library.

Via Beth Fillar Williams:

Going to ALA? attend the Task Force on the Environment Group meeting (7:30pm Fri, Hilton Anaheim, Oceanside) to meet the new co-chairs, and discuss if you want TFOE or make it a round table etc!

RSVP here on the LinkedIn Sustainability Librarians Group page.