Sustainability and Libraries: Home

At the 2015 Annual Conference in San Francisco, the ALA Council passed a resolution on the importance of sustainable libraries. The resolution notes that libraries play an important and unique role in wider community communications about resiliency, climate change and a sustainable future and that libraries that demonstrate good stewardship of the resources entrusted to them can build community support that leads to sustainable funding.

Policy B.5.5: "The American Library Association urges librarians and library governing boards to collect and provide information on the condition of our Earth, its air, ground, water, and living organisms from all available sources." (1989-1990 CD #48)

Resolution, adopted June 2017, "recognizes that human interactions and activities affect the dynamics of Earth’s climate system, and that there is a large and growing base of factual scientific data, information, and literature providing robust and accurate STE3M3 (scientific, technical, environmental/economic/ethical, medical/mathematical/management) evidence of global climate change; affirms a commitment to the preservation and availability of this factual scientific data, information, and literature, both from government and citizen sources; and supports librarians, library workers, and educators, as they are guided by the
ALA Policy Manual, in their roles for providing rigorous, robust, and accurate reference and referral services; access to data (both historical and current) and information resources, literature, and collections; and instruction in their use in assisting climate stakeholders’ and library users’ greater understanding of global climate change."

The ISLD serves as a clearinghouse of sustainable community-based library projects in developing areas of the world. This group mobilizes the power of ALA librarians to raise awareness of and make significant contributions to international library development.

(now part of SustainRT) The Task Force on the Environment (TFOE) was created in 1989 in the spirit of the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day (1990). TFOE is one of the issues-oriented task forces that comprise the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of the American Library Association (ALA).

SustainRT was created as a venue in which members exchange ideas and opportunities regarding sustainability in order to move toward a more equitable, healthy and economically viable society.

By Rebekkah Smith Aldrich.Subtitled "Convening communities and being part of the solution for a better world. Posted April 20, 2017

By Bonnie Smith and Beth Filar Williams. Making the case for SustainRT. Posted May 10, 2017

By Amy Brunvand. About working in the university's Sustainability Office. Posted May 22, 2017

By Kellie Sparks. Explores how academic libraries can share resources with stakeholders. Posted May 31, 2017

A blog about libraries fostering resilient communities.

Dashboard for accessing information on the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

IFLA Strategic Directions Key Initiative 4.1 - Promoting libraries within the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Booklet describing ways libraries can drive progress