Greening Your Public Library Online Workshop March 6, 2012

if you missed the announcement be sure to consider attending this virtual  ALA Workshop on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 2:30pm – 4:00pm Eastern.   Greening Your Library: Save Money and the Environment (ALA Editions Workshop). Presented by Kathryn Miller, author of ALA Editions’ Public Libraries Going Green,

Your library is vital to connecting citizens with the knowledge and tools to change habits and lessen our impact on the Earth’s limited resources, and it all starts with leading by example. In this workshop Kathryn Miller, author of Public Libraries Going Green, will discuss practical ideas for how to become green, teach green, and lead green.  Miller will introduce environmentally-friendly, money-saving initiatives that fit your existing building and services. Ideas for hands-on activities, such as rain barrels or butterfly gardens, will help you raise awareness and get your community involved.

Topics include:

• What it means to be green
• Ideas for your action plan
• Socially responsible collection management, from purchase to disposal
• Program ideas for children, young adults, and adults

Joind.in September 27, 2010

Forget the paper evaluations at a workshop or conference! Try an online method such as joind.in where attendees and post  comments directly at the talks they attend and the speaker can view their feedback easily.  Registration is free and easy. You can also submit your event – if you want others to know about it – and get the word out through joind.in.  Thanks for UNC Cause for using this at their conference upcoming in November in Wilmington NC  – looking forward to trying it out as a speaker and attendee!

Green Workshops November 13, 2008

Last week I was in the Chicago suburbs giving two workshops at two different library consortiums (NSLS and MLS). I met some great folks from various libraries who attended to learn more about greening their libraries though many of them are already going down that path. Many of these libraries are starting green library committees to bring the issue of sustainability into their libraries in an organized way.  (please post a comment and let me know who you are)  Some librarians I met already have green roofs (or green gardens) and even green buildings (one school librarian from Texas gulf area wants to redo her hurricane hit library by going green). Marketing ideas such as bookmarks with links for local recycling places, green blogging for the library, green resource section of the library web site or even a physical display of  green resources owned by the library.  Warren-Newport Public Library is hosting a Recycle-O-Rama this weekend (Nov 15th). They also have a green pledge form for patrons to take and a green ideas form for their library staff to suggest new ideas.  Some libraries are switching to all recycled paper (one library mentioned using a eucalyptus paper that is cheaper and sustainable). Another library mentioned after shredding sensitive documents, they donate the shredded paper to the local animal shelter who uses it for litter (not worries about someone trying to piece the paper back together One librarian enlightened us to the Risograph printer which doesn’t use heat to print or copy thus saving at least 90% percent of energy used in most printers.

Thanks to everyone who atteneded and shared your ideas. It was great to connect with other green librarians!