Tag Archives: environment

A First Look at Results from IFLA’s Climate Survey – Add your input!

IFLA is working with partners to include libraries in global indicators for climate communication and education. Including libraries on this platform will be hugely beneficial for helping policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders understand and measure the impact libraries have on empowering climate action.

To achieve this, we are building a body of evidence through surveys on ways in which libraries take part in climate communication and education.

To date, we have received several hundred responses from libraries and dozens of responses from library associations. These early results show that libraries are approaching climate communication and education in a variety of ways, the majority of which center activities which encourage community-building and learning at all ages.

It’s not too late to get involved! Keep reading for a look at the preliminary results, then follow the links below to add your input to the survey.

The Numbers at a Glance

The types of libraries participating in this survey so far include 34% public libraries (155/456), 26% academic/university libraries (117/456), and 5% national libraries (22/456).

The geographic spread at the moment includes 68% from Europe, 16% from North America, 8% from Asia-Oceania, 4% from Latin America and the Caribbean, 3% from Sub-Saharan Africa, and 0.01% from MENA. From these numbers, there is clearly a need to improve geographic representation.

 

Library Programmes

Libraries were asked how often they offer programmes, such as special events, activities, community meetings, lectures, or outreach efforts, on climate change. Over 1/3 (145/388 responses) stated they offer such programmes either frequently or occasionally.

Just about half of respondents (191/387) reported to offer programmes on sustainability issues like the environment, biodiversity and recycling either frequently or occasionally.

Engaging with Others

1/3 of respondents (118/365) either frequently or occasionally engage with students from primary and secondary schools on issues related to climate change and the environment. About 1/4 (99/367) engage to that same level with university students or researchers.

30% have established relationships with external partners to engage in cooperative initiatives or public dialogues on climate issues, with the most common of these partners being local government agencies or municipal services.

Library Resources

43% offer book recommendation lists, library guides and/or book exhibitions on climate issues for children and youth, while 46% offer similar resources for adults. Half of respondents make an effort to draw attention to online resources on climate issues via their library’s communication channels.

The majority of climate action in responding libraries has focussed on outreach and activities. A smaller percentage (30%) have constructed new buildings, renovated existing ones, or purchased new equipment which was specifically intended to reduce the institution’s impact on the climate. A slightly higher percentage (45%) have changed internal operations, such as putting new policies in place in order to promote sustainability.

The majority of responding libraries (60%) feel they have adequate resources on climate change, biodiversity and sustainability to offer their users given current public demand. However, half (50%) of respondents feels that their resources would be inadequate if public demand for these resources was to increase.

Community-based Climate Action

Survey participants were invited to share examples of their activities to promote climate action and awareness.

There were many examples of libraries partnering with local government agencies and municipal services to jointly provide opportunities for climate action. Recycling schemes set up with local waste collection services, hosting town information sessions on sustainability, arranging community seed libraries with the local farmers market, and holding cooperative programmes with local nature reserves, parks, and forestry services are some examples of outreach efforts with community partners.

Libraries also reported on positioning themselves as community hubs for sustainable practices. There were many examples of libraries providing services like food-sharing refrigerators, communal meals, bicycle rentals, mend clubs, community gardening, and film screenings.

“At the current time we have just finished a sustainable food resource management project for community strengthening via learning to cook sustainable dishes and use the resources sustainably. The project has invited community members to sit around the table, build connections and thus, learn to preserve food resources, lead sustainable households. The outcome of the project was not only a build stronger community, developed platform for sharing of the excess food but also a strong food club of 70 members”.

(Example shared from Lithuania) 

Lifelong learning played a large role in the activities reported by libraries as well. There were many examples of programmes aimed at school-aged children and young learners, from clubs and hands-on workshops to story-times. There were more adult-focussed educational activities as well, such as budget cooking and food waste classes, beekeeping and gardening lessons, hosting climate change conferences, showcasing new research in lecture series and panel discussions, holding intergenerational sustainability programmes, and establishing climate groups for seniors.

We were excited to see that these results also included stories of libraries helping their communities engage in citizen science. Some examples included library-led activities in which young people or university students helped document pollution in local waterways and record the diversity of plants and animals in their community.

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These surveys are beginning to provide a look into how libraries empower climate action through climate education and communication. With more input, we can create an even clearer and more diverse picture of how libraries can help every person understand and act in support of the climate, sustainability, and biodiversity.

Add your voice today! Surveys are available in English, Spanish, French, and Chinese.

Contact us: claire.mcguire@ifla.org

 

 

 

 

The 10-Minute International Librarian #95, think how you can engage your community around climate change

By providing access to information, libraries play a key role in supporting citizenship.

They help expose people to ideas and information, encourage curiosity about the world, and provide space for civic activities, such as meetings and debates.

Through this, they give people the tools for getting more effectively involved in the life of the community, and contributing to responses to the challenges that communities face.

There aren’t many bigger challenges in the long-term than climate change.

Tackling it will require changes in mindsets and behaviours at the individual level, alongside major investments at the government level.

This is somewhere where libraries can make a difference!

So for our 95th 10-Minute International Librarian #95 exercise, think how you can engage your community around climate change.

How can you, in your library, help share information that will build understanding of the situation facing the planet, and what people can do?

How can you act as a catalyst for climate action, and empower your community to do so also?

Share your ideas in the comments box below!

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Key Initiative 1.4: Shape public opinion and debate around open access and library values, including intellectual freedom and human rights. 

You can view our other posts in this series using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box below!

Take Part in World Environment Day 2022: Build and share your Earth Action Number

On World Environment Day (June 5), the Only One Earth campaign calls “collective, transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet”. This campaign, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and hosted in 2022 by Sweden, is the largest international day focussed on the environment.

This year’s call to action echoes the outcomes of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), which culminated in the urgent message that now more than ever, leaders must take increasingly ambitious steps to mitigate the climate emergency.

However, this is not the role of government and policymakers alone. The Only One Earth campaign stresses collective action. A full spectrum of stakeholders – from governments, to cities, financial institutions, businesses, NGOs, academia, civil society, and individuals can – and must – take part.

This campaign highlights that climate action is a common goal, and all people have a vital role to play if we are to make a meaningful difference. Libraries are a part of this solution.

Libraries Empowering Climate Action

Libraries are learning institutions and trusted community spaces that can help educate, empower, and mobilise their community to take action for the environment.

Libraries connect people to knowledge, ideas, skills, and opportunities. Their collections, and expert staff who help make material discoverable, connect us to the past and to one another, and inspire innovation.

Interested in learning more?

 Review IFLA’s brief on Libraries and the Glasgow Work Programme on Action for Climate Empowerment  for more on how libraries can empower climate action through education, access to information, and public participation.

Watch the recent webinar from IFLA’s Environment, Sustainability, and Libraries Section (ENSULIB), Climate equity: A manifesto for libraries, which explores how libraries can be proactive in bringing climate equity to the fore in their communities.

Share your Impact on World Environment Day 2022

For World Environment Day 2022, the Only One Earth campaign calls on all stakeholders to calculate their Earth Action Numbers. These are numeric goals that help celebrate, protect, and restore our planet.

The campaign is creating an interactive map of Earth Action Numbers from around the world. This global perspective shows how many small actions – 2,754 and counting – can add up to a major movement.

Explore Earth Action Numbers from around the world here.

It only takes a few minutes to build your library’s Earth Action Number, add it to the map, and share your impact with the world.

Start here: Build Your Earth Action Number

Step 1: Plan Your Response

 Your library’s Earth Action Number is a specific, quantifiable example of your planned impact.

To build an Earth Action Number for your library, you will be first asked to identify the type of action you will take, or already are taking, through your library’s sustainability-related programmes, campaigns, or initiatives.

This may fall in the following action areas:

Climate Action

Your programme or initiative is addressing the causes of climate change and helping your community find ways to adapt.

A library example: The Oulu City Library project “A Responsible Library as Promoter of Environmental Awareness”, Finland (6th Green Library Project Award Winner) worked towards the goals of promoting environmental awareness among customers and library staff, reducing the environmental impact of library operations, and creating a library action plan for sustainable development.

Nature Action

Your programme or initiative helps preserve nature through sustainable resource consumption and the modelling of sustainable behaviours.

A library example: Lambaye Learning Center – “An Ecological Learning Center” , Senegal, (5th Green Library Award Runner-up) reaches out to their rural community with practical community-oriented programmes. Green thinking permeates all aspects of physical infrastructure, including rainwater collection, a waste disposal system, and use of solar panels.

Chemicals and Pollution Action

Your programme addresses the prevention and management of pollution of all kinds.

A library example: The revitalisation of the Edmonton Public Library, Canada, (6th Green Library Award winner) focussed on diverting waste from landfills during demolition by recycling and reusing as much of the existing materials as possible. It further promotes sustainable transportation by adding bike racks, car charging stations and better access to the light rail transit system.

Step 2: Specify your Action

Once you click on the relevant type of action, you will be able to choose from a list of specific actions that your library may be taking.

Specific actions in your library that you may want to feature could include:

  • improving waste management
  • banning single-use plastic
  • increasing energy efficiency
  • supporting environmental events, campaigns, and advocacy 

Step 3: Describe your action

You will be asked to share a short description of your planned activity – with a quantifiable goal.

For example, you plan to plant 10 bee-friendly plants on your library’s grounds.  Or you plan to use 0 single-use plastics within your library’s premises.

You will then be asked to share a short, specific description of how you plan to achieve this goal. This could be, for example, through 2 planned environmental programmes involving your library’s community, or through the installation of 1 solar panel.

That’s it! Your Earth Action Number has been built! You can do this multiple times to reflect a range of different actions at your library.

Step 4: Share your Impact

Once you build your Earth Action Number, you will receive a set of personalised graphics to promote your action.

Download these personalised graphics and share on social media to help demonstrate the impact that libraries have on inspiring, educating, and leading on climate action.

Join the global conversation by using the hashtags: #OnlyOneEarth and #WorldEnvironmentDay.

Learn how to do more

 Community Organising

The degradation of ecosystems affects all regions of our planet. Results such as extreme weather events and biodiversity loss are devastating to the environment and negatively impact human health and economic well-being.

Meaningful action to prevent degradation and restore ecosystems can happen at the local level in all types of communities. Libraries can have an important role in mobilising this local action.

To help, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has created a Community Organising Toolkit to equip change-makers with tools to mobilise action to restore healthy ecosystems.

In this toolkit, you will find a wealth of ideas for community-led projects and events, as well as practical steps to organising grassroots action.

Find out more and download the toolkit here: IUCN Community Organising Toolkit

Ecosystem Restoration

Restoring healthy ecosystems is a critical aspect of sustainable development, and without action we will not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set out in Agenda 2030.

Again, meaningful action can happen within our own communities. As a part of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), the UNEP has produced an Ecosystem Restoration Playbook to help raise awareness on ecosystem restoration and share ideas for local, on-the-ground restoration that can make a major impact.

Use this playbook to start conversations on ecosystem restoration in your library. Identify actions and opportunities to mobilise your community and raise your collective voices in support of your local ecosystems.

Find out more and download this resource here: Ecosystem Restoration Playbook

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IFLA continues to help the global library field engage in climate action. Follow the work of IFLA’s Environment, Sustainability and Libraries (ENSULIB) Section for more.

IFLA is proud to be a member of the International Steering Committee of the Climate Heritage Network.  Over the course of 2022, IFLA will work with CHN to bring the voice of libraries, and voices from across the culture sector, into the global climate change debate. We are already setting our sights on preparation for COP27, to be hosted in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022.

Stay tuned for more, or get in touch: claire.mcguire@ifla.org

 

The 10-Minute International Librarian #79: Think about how to green your library

In November of last year, governments made new commitments to reducing emissions in order to limit climate change.

While many have suggested that not enough was promised, it will be worse still if even this is not delivered.

Crucially, mitigating and adapting to climate change requires work at all levels.

It is about changing practices and behaviours, not just policies.

Amongst our New Year’s Resolutions, it is therefore important to think about how we can be more sustainable, and use the place of libraries within communities to do the same!

So for our 79th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, think about how to green your library.

You could think about any or all of your buildings, your operations, your collections and your programming.

Are there renovations that could make a difference? Could you use less energy? Could you share more works explaining the issues around climate change and greener living? Could you work with other organisations to promote sustainability literacy?

All have the potential to have either a direct impact on reducing emissions, to inspire others in your community to do the same, or both!

You could take a look at the Green Library Checklist, prepared by what is now the Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Section.

Or you could seek ideas from the work of other libraries, as set out for example in our blog, or in our article summarising papers submitted to our World Library and Information Congress.

Let us know what ideas you have in the comments box below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Key Initiative 2.3: Develop standards, guidelines, and other materials that foster best professional practice

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the com

 

Amplifying Library Stories: How Libraries are Taking Climate Action

In the leadup to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), IFLA asked the Standing Committee of the Environment Sustainability and Libraries Section (ENSULIB) to share examples of libraries educating, connecting and empowering their communities to take climate action.

We were happy to share some guest articles on IFLA’s Policy and Advocacy blog to highlight library initiatives that promote climate action and empowerment in their communities.

 Green FUBib: Sustainability at the University Library

This article offers a look at the GreenFUBib group, a permanent working group that is committed to promoting sustainable action in everyday library life at the University Library of the Freie Universität Berlin.

“GreenFUBib wants to contribute to filling the strategic terms of sustainability and responsibility with life in everyday library activities. In line with the 17 global sustainability goals, it keeps not only the ecological, but also the economic, social and cultural dimensions in mind.”

The working group seeks to address the following questions through their activities:

  • Where can something be done for sustainability and climate protection in the everyday work at the library?
  • Which measures are low-threshold and effective?
  • Which ideas can be implemented for all, or at least most, library locations?

Readers can find an overview of activities carried out by the GreenFUBib group, including choosing more sustainable library practices, like finding plastic-free options, organising educational events, and establishing a library garden. The author also offers a look at future plans on the group, and partners within the university community with whom the working group cooperates to achieve their goals.

This article could be a helpful reference for those who might be interested in establishing similar working groups in their libraries, or in implementing more sustainable everyday library practices.

Contributed by Janet Wagner, Librarian at the Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin (Germany).

Read the full article here: Green FUBib: Sustainability at the University Library

Climate Change in the Spotlight of RECIDA, the Spanish Network of Green Libraries

This article offers a glimpse into recent actions of the Spanish Network of Green Libraries (RECIDA).

This includes participation in the 12th Seminar of Environmental Documentation Centers and Protected Natural Areas, held in October 2021. This Seminar brought together state and regional institutions, universities, researchers, representatives of natural spaces and NGOs in a multi-stakeholder forum for collaboration and exchanges through the RECIDA network.

RECIDA, the Spanish network of green libraries, has been working for sustainability for 20 years. Included in RECIDA’s Action Plan are actions to raise awareness and mitigate climate changes and work towards impacting on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Some experiences highlighted by the RECIDA network during this conference which implement their Action Plan include:

  • Establishing reading clubs in environmental information centers which introduce environmental reading material to the public and raise awareness of the climate emergency
  • The initiative Literary Ecomenu, which encourages users to read, gaze, feel and marvel at nature through words and books.
  • Creation of educational materials for eco-social education aimed at addressing social, economic and ecological challenges

Readers may be interested in the approach of this network, which highlights how library and information professionals can have an impact on climate empowerment. In addition to ideas for action, this article also provides resources shared during the RECIDA network’s recent conference. Further, it provides an example of a multistakeholder approach to integrating libraries in climate action – especially through establishing relationships with academia, other NGOs, and government agencies, especially representing national parks.

Contributed by Rosario Toril Moreno, Documentalist at the National Center of Environmental Education, (Spain).

Read the full article here: Climate Change in the Spotlight of RECIDA, the Spanish Network of Green Libraries

Green Library Awards

During IFLA’s engagement in COP26 (read more on that here), we also drew inspiration from recent winners and runners-up of the IFLA Green Library Awards.

Although we only had time to share a few during COP26 events, we invited the audience to explore the many more examples of excellent library initiatives available on our website.

Have you revisited the Green Library Awards lately? Find inspiration here: IFLA Green Library Awards.

Do you have a similar example to share? Please reach out: claire.mcguire@ifla.org

Guest Article: Climate Change in the Spotlight of RECIDA, the Spanish Network of Green Libraries

In the leadup to COP26, IFLA asked the Standing Committee of the Environment Sustainability and Libraries Section (ENSULIB) to share examples of libraries educating, connecting and empowering their communities to take climate action. 

Below is an article contributed by Rosario Toril Moreno, Documentalist at the National Center of Environmental Education, to give insight into some actions of the Spanish Network of Green Libraries (RECIDA). 

Logo RECIDAFrom 20 to 22 October 2021, the twentieth Seminar of Environmental Documentation Centers and Protected Natural Areas was held. This year it has been coordinated by the National Center for Environmental Education (CENEAM) of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and the Center for Documentation and Resources for Environmental Education of Cantabria (CIMA).

After the COVID-19 pandemic, we resumed our in-person annual meeting in Valsaín, Segovia (Spain).This year, it has also been possible to attend the meeting online, since, for the first time, it has been held in a hybrid way. Ninety participants were registered, among whom were heads of centers, experts and professors from universities in the seventeen regions of Spain and thirteen national parks, in addition to other natural areas.

Attendees at Seminar

On the days when the Seminar was held, the heads of the institutions represented (state, regional, universities, research, natural spaces and NGOs), told us their news and experiences in the different cases and settings, as well as their collaboration and exchanges through the RECIDA network.

We began the meeting with Petra Hauke, Secretary of IFLA’s Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Section (ENSULIB), who informed us of its organization and activities, as well as of the German Green Library Network, of which she is a co-founder.

RECIDA, the network of green libraries, which has been working for sustainability for 20 years,  was present at COP25 in Madrid with a stand in the green area. In the RECIDA’s Action Plan is to keep carrying out actions to raise awareness and mitigate climate changes and reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In this area, we can highlight experiences such as:

  • Reading Clubs in environmental information centers that allow citizens to bring environmental readings closer to the public and raise awareness of the climate emergency
  • Parks and libraries, which raises the need of awareness and education for the better preservation of surrounding natural and cultural heritage within the framework of the public library and natural parks
  • Literary Ecomenu, which encourages users to read, gaze, feel and marvel at nature through words and books. Reading and nature linked in a restaurant menu card.
  • Resources for a sustainable diet
  • Educational materials for eco-social education aimed at solving social, economic and ecological problems
  • Application of nature-based solutions for local adaptation of educational and social buildings to climate change
  • Environmental education in waste management
  • Interviews on YouTube for the dissemination of books and environmental projects that sensitize all citizens
  • The creation of a Climate Library
  • Natural Areas Conservation Experiences
  • The 2030 School Agenda based on the SDGs, the purpose of which is to develop skills, knowledge, attitudes, motivation and commitments to take part in the eco-social transformation.

We also got to know the magazine “Salvaje” thanks of its director. This publication focuses on the natural and rural values, giving voice to the new initiatives that are revitalizing the rural environment. And we participated in the live broadcast of the videoblog on Twitch “En plan Planeta: Educación Ambiental en la trinchera”.

Representatives of some of our strategic alliances were also present, such as the Association of Environmental Journalists (APIA), which deals with accurate reporting, IAIA with its SDGs wool books. These books are made by elderly, people with mental illness, intellectual disabilities or women in prison. These stories are used in educational centers and libraries in environmental awareness workshops (Bees, Climate change, Wool), so that children learn through experiences with wool; Teachers for Future Spain with its Plan 28,000 for the climate, or The International Network of SDGs Promoters with its awareness, dissemination, communication and promotion actions of the SDGs aiming at social transformation and citizen participation.

We learned free access information sources to use on social networks, as well as how the digital magazine “Actualidad Jurídico Ambiental” is managed; the news of the updating of the ISBD standard for the bibliographic description; and about the environmental bibliographic resources of the Ministry of Defense.

Workshops on content creation with light metadata, a first contact with Scimago Graphica and how to make tables that represent communicative efficiency in the visualization of data. The exchange of ideas in the working groups and the new commitments for the next Action Plan closed this meeting.

It should be noted that the presentations made have shown the optimal use of RECIDA resources on the Internet and the ability of managers to innovate in difficult situations either because of the pandemic or because of the limited resources, developing methodologies and using technology in the most efficient way possible, always with the aim of giving the best support to environmental education and promoting the best use of the natural resources of our environment and the planet.