ALA

April 17, 2019

Call for SustainRT Committee Volunteers – Deadline May 5th

The ALA Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT) continues to grow and thrive with a dramatic increase in membership this year. Come be a part of this dynamic round table by serving on a committee to help continue the growth and relevance of our shared work.   Seeking members for the following committees:

  •  Governance
  •  Membership
  •  Online Education
  •  Outreach
  •  Programming
  •  Book Award

To read more about the committees: http://www.ala.org/sustainrt/sustainrt-committees

Applications accepted until May 5th
Notification by May 19th
Two year terms commence on July 1st

Details and volunteer sign up:  http://www.ala.org/groups/committees/volunteer/frm_vol/

January 23, 2019

Attending ALA MW in Seattle?

Katie Sherrer  is offering these mindfulness sessions at MidWinter she shared  on Mindfulness for Librarians.:  “…I know conferencing taps me out. So many ideas, less than great food, and definitely too little sleep. Mindfulness is a huge help, so I’d like to share with others who may want some instruction or just enjoy practicing in community.”

Drop in for any of her three pop-up mindfulness sessions (30 minutes each) in the Networking Uncommons.     Sat 2-2:30; Sun 1-1:30; Mon 9:30-10

December 6, 2018

Book: Library Service and Learning: Empowering Students, Inspiring Social Responsibility, and Building Community Connection

ACRL announces the publication of Library Service and Learning: Empowering Students, Inspiring Social Responsibility, and Building Community Connections, edited by Theresa McDevitt and Caleb P. Finegan. This thorough book describes active teaching techniques that help build community, are relevant to students’ current lives and future career goals, and allow students to work together to solve real problems and shape their own successful and empowering learning. Divided into three comprehensive sections—Library and Information Literacy Credit-Bearing Courses or Sponsors of Undergraduate Community-Based Research; Library Support for Courses with Applied Service-Based Projects in the Disciplines; and Library as Location for Student-Led Educational Outreach Events and Projects—Library Service and Learning is a collection of case studies written by librarians, university faculty, and students who have successfully employed service-based or experiential learning experiences for students in higher education. You can purchase in print and as an ebook through the ALA Online Store.

December 3, 2018

Recommendation to Explore a New Direction for the ALA Endowment Fund

The Social Responsibilities Round Table and Sustainability Round Table recommend that the ALA’s Endowment Trustees:

  • Conduct a new Request for Proposal (RFP) for investment consultants in order to better align the ALA Endowment Fund’s investments with ALA values.
  • Consider switching from Merrill Lynch and Clearbridge to a fund manager that recognizes the financial risk that fossil fuel stocks pose to the Endowment Fund.
  • Consider increasing the percentage of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria for investments in the ALA Endowment Fund.
  • Consider the recent American Medical Association (AMA) divestment from fossil fuels as a model for ALA.

READ MORE HERE! 

June 20, 2018

ALA Annual: SustainRT events!

All on SUNDAY June 24, 2018
http://www.ala.org/rt/sustainrt/

8:30am – 10am
The Rising Tide: How Libraries Sustain a Planet in Crisis 
Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 278

Libraries and librarians can (and do) play a pivotal role in helping vulnerable communities build the physical, social, economic, and emotional resources and skills necessary to endure and thrive in the face of catastrophic climate, social, and economic disruptions. Librarian who work in a community/area especially prone to catastrophic weather events like flood, fire, drought, etc. respond to crisis by assisting their communities to recover. Please come hear the first-hand insights of two librarians, one public, one academic, on enlisting or providing support for their communities impacted by the disruption wrought after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005. Speakers:  Marylyn Haddican, Library Director, Jefferson Parish  and Andy Corrigan Associate Dean of Libraries, Tulane University  This event is co-sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA).

10:30am – 11:30am
SUSTAINRT: Sustainability Round Table Business and Membership Meeting 
Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 210

All interested please attend!

2:30pm-3:30pm 
SUSTAINRT: Sustainability Round Table Business and Membership Meeting 
Location: Morial Convention Center, Rm 210

Join the Sustainability Round Table for a brief introduction to SustainRT, followed by micro-presentations by members on projects they are working on (or have worked on) related to sustainability in their libraries. Topics include managing donations to libraries in developing nations, planning environmentally-themed film screenings, finding practical ways to make more efficient use of resources and decrease waste, developing partnerships for campus sustainability, and re-purposing conference swag into sustainable library activities.  Speakers:

Uta Hussong-Christian, Science Librarian, Oregon State University

  • Uta will share her library’s “Party Pack” box (inspired by Green Girl in our town) and durable bag checkout (to keep books dry) as a way to use unwanted conference or other swag and then facilitate table brainstorm about other unusual but interesting sustainable activities.

Gayatri Singh, Reference & Information Services Coordinator, UC San Diego Library

  • Gayatri will discuss the campus’ sustainability initiatives and efforts, and created a Library Sustainability Committee on the UC San Diego Campus.  The charge of the group included developing comprehensive strategies and institutional practices that promote sustainability, including measures to make more efficient use of resources, conserve, and to decrease waste. Discussion will highlight the work we’re doing (events, policies, etc.).  Learn how attendees can implement and/or evaluate similar sustainability initiatives at their institutions, and share what is happening at otherinstitutions.

Rebecca L. Miller, Library Consultant, BiblioDev, LLC

  • Rebecca will lead a discussion on managing donations to libraries in developing nations and more specifically, how to get the donations to the country.  Paying for shipping is not “sexy” and people don’t like to contribute to it, but it’s critical!  This is one of the biggest issues I’ve encountered when working overseas.

Susan Conlon, Head of Youth Services, Princeton Public Library

  • Susan will conduct a mini-presentation on top documentary films with environmental themes that are available for screenings in libraries. It will include a set of slides with each film and discussion/brainstorming with the group.

Amy Brunvand, Librarian, University of Utah Sustainability Office

  • Amy will lead a brief discussion on a recent AASHE presentation on Academic Libraries Fostering Resilient Communities, which includes a quick overview of academic libraries as partners for campus sustainability.

 

 

September 22, 2017

New ALA Task Force on Sustainability

Jim Neal has just announced the appointment of an ALA Task Force on Sustainability.  Appointment of this Task Force was begun by ALA’s Immediate Past President Julie Todaro.  The Task Force is charged to develop a white paper that describes areas of focus and recommendations for the ALA Executive Board to increase the adoption and implementation of sustainable practices by the Association, the profession, libraries, and the communities they serve. 

Members of the Task Force are Monika Antonelli (Minnesota State University), Sara Dallas (Southern Adirondack Library System), Adrian K. Ho (University of Kentucky Libraries), Traci Engel Lesneski (MSR, MN), Margaret Sullivan (Margaret Sullivan Studio, NY), Margaret Woodruff (Charlotte Library, VT), and Christian Zabriskie (Urban Libraries Unite, NY).  The Task Force will be co-chaired by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich (Mid-Hudson Library System) and Rene M. Tanner (Arizona State University). The staff liaison will be Mary Ghikas (ALA Senior Associate Executive Director – and Interim Executive Director), working with Danielle Alderson (ALA Member Programs and Services).

The Task Force has been asked by the ALA Executive Board to include the following issues in their discussion.

  • How the Association may provide leadership and serve as a model for sustainability practices more broadly in the profession
  • How the Association may provide leadership in the adoption of sustainability practices in libraries; and,
  • How libraries may provide leadership and serve as a model for sustainability in the communities they serve.

The Board has asked for a final report by the 2018 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.

This continues the ALA focus on sustainability, including the formation of the Sustainability Round Table and the passage of a resolution on sustainability passed by the ALA Council at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco: (http://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ala.org.aboutala/files/content/governance/council/council_documents/2015_annual_council_documents/cd_36_substainable_libraries_resol_final.pdf)

August 31, 2017

FREE membership to ALA’s SustainRT for LIS students!

Exciting news for LIS graduate students, if you are a member of ALA, on September 1, 2017 you can join SustainRT for FREE:

  • Currently enrolled in ALA-accredited Master of Library Science/Master of Library and Information Science (MLS/MLIS) program.
  • Student members of ALA.

About: SustainRT strives to achieve a more equitable, healthy and economically viable society by providing resources for the library community to support sustainability through curriculum development; collections; exhibits; events; advocacy, communication, library buildings and space design. SustainRT is a member of the ALA’s recently formed Office of Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS) which supports library and information science workers in creating responsible and all-inclusive spaces that serve and represent the entire community. SustainRT offers  committees and projects, webinars and events!

October 11, 2016

ODLOS blog Intersections – calls for contributors

The ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services (ODLOS)is launching Intersections, a new blog that highlights the everyday work of library and information science workers as they advocate for equity and inclusion as they relate to diversity, literacy and access among membership, the field of librarianship and the communities they serve. The blog invites submissions from across the library profession featuring:

  • those from historically and disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups;
  • those who experience socioeconomic barriers, people experiencing hunger, homelessness and poverty;
  • immigrants, refugees and new Americans; those discriminated against based on nationality or language;
  • those who are geographically isolated;
  • those experiencing barriers in regards to access to literacy; and new and non-readers.

 

 

August 23, 2016

ENSULIB at IFLA

Environmental Sustainability for Libraries (ENSULIB) had a very successful and well-attended session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Columbus, Ohio last week. The group welcomed research from Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and the US, and presenting the IFLA Green Library Award for 2016, which included 30 submissions.  First place went to Pequeño Sol ecological library, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas state, Mexico, for its new crowdfunded and community-constructed building extension that incorporates renewable energies and recycled materials. Read the summary from American Libraries magazine. 

ifla-logoSave the date: ENSULIB will hold a two-day meeting in Berlin August 16-17, 2017. This directly precedes the IFLA conference in Wroclaw, Poland. Follow them on Facebook

August 19, 2016

The story behind the creation of the Sustainabilty Round Table of ALA

A recent publication in Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy (11 (2)) by Beth Filar Williams (me!)  Madeleine Charney  &  Bonnie Smith called  Growing our vision together: forming a sustainability community within the American Library Association was published online Apr 01, 2016. It tells the back story about how the ALA SustainRT came to be….

Abstract:

As long-standing keepers of democracy and information stewardship, library professionals are a natural fit for advocating and promoting sustainability within their communities. From seed libraries to Occupy Wall Street libraries, their view of sustainability extends beyond environmental concerns to include community activism, economic development, and social equity. Empowering people, facilitating dialogue, and providing resources for a more resilient future are at the center of librarians’ vital and changing roles. These visionary professionals have powered libraries’ work as outspoken advocates with well-founded initiatives. For a long time, however, there was no cohesive sustainability-focused venue for sharing best practices, collaborating, and contributing to the profession. In 2014, after two years of focused research and promotion, the American Library Association (ALA) approved a new group, the Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT). This article describes how library advocates built SustainRT over the years and gained momentum with a pivotal webinar series. Clear signs of SustainRT’s early success are a testimony to the critical need for a sustainability-related Community of Practice (CoP). The article shows how the steps taken to achieve this national group’s standing can serve as a model for fostering dialogue and collaboration (often through virtual means) that allows for wide participation. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/58825