Wednesday, November 25, 2009
National Geographic blog
Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, here is a blog from the National Geographic Society about being green and Thankful. http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/thegreenguide
Monday, November 23, 2009
The basic issue
The basic issue is Libraries' role in environmental sustainability. We have seen:
1. Libraries have programs to foster, teach and promote environmental sustainability. These are geared to many different types of users.
2. New library buildings are required to be built to LEED standards. Grants are requiring many specific standards.
3. Librarians can attend conference to learn what can be done to encourage library users and use environmental sustainability in the library. Library organizations are a part of this.
4. Librarians and library users communicate in blogs, discussing the importance of environmental sustainability and what that entails.
To refer back to the quote that began this blog, libraries always have been, are now and will continue to be "One of the seven sustainable wonders of the World." Thank you Dr. Donelle H. Meadows.
1. Libraries have programs to foster, teach and promote environmental sustainability. These are geared to many different types of users.
2. New library buildings are required to be built to LEED standards. Grants are requiring many specific standards.
3. Librarians can attend conference to learn what can be done to encourage library users and use environmental sustainability in the library. Library organizations are a part of this.
4. Librarians and library users communicate in blogs, discussing the importance of environmental sustainability and what that entails.
To refer back to the quote that began this blog, libraries always have been, are now and will continue to be "One of the seven sustainable wonders of the World." Thank you Dr. Donelle H. Meadows.
Are Libraries involved in sustainability?
Hmmmm, lets see; are libraries involved in sustainability?
Library Journal sponsors a Design Institute each year and in 2008, Phoenix City librarian Toni Garvey (2004 LJ Librarian of the Year) reminded the audience to think of libraries as naturally part of the solution to the problem of global warming. "Libraries are inherently green and alsways have been," she said. "We buy something and thousands of people use it." At the 2008 Design Institute West, her words echoed in the remarks of luncheon speaker Jared Blumenfeld, director of San Francisco Department of the Environment. "We need to show people how green libraries are already," he said. But he took it another step and declared that libraries can be, indeed already are, at the center of the answer to the problem of climate change. "For me, the tag line is, Libraries are the solution," he said, referring to the options provided by the green buildings themselves and the answers people find in them when they get the information they need.
The Ann Arbor District Library sponsored a month-long series of programs and events in May 2002 on sustainaability. Libraries prove to be an ideal environment for exploring such a broad, interconnected topic as sustainability, not only because of the position as a community center and reputation as an educational resource in their own right, but also because of the libraries' mission-driven commitment to reuse and recycle through the materials-lending policies.
Library Journal's Sustainability Institued has held seminars in various areas of the United States for six years.
When I checked the Library Literature and Information Schience Full Text dataabase, I found 46 hits with the terms library and sustainability. One article went so far as to give Andrew Carnegie credit for being sustainable because of his philosophical endeavors. I would not go that far, but libraries and environmental sustainaability are definitely linked and historically libraries have shared in these concerns and solutions.
Library Journal sponsors a Design Institute each year and in 2008, Phoenix City librarian Toni Garvey (2004 LJ Librarian of the Year) reminded the audience to think of libraries as naturally part of the solution to the problem of global warming. "Libraries are inherently green and alsways have been," she said. "We buy something and thousands of people use it." At the 2008 Design Institute West, her words echoed in the remarks of luncheon speaker Jared Blumenfeld, director of San Francisco Department of the Environment. "We need to show people how green libraries are already," he said. But he took it another step and declared that libraries can be, indeed already are, at the center of the answer to the problem of climate change. "For me, the tag line is, Libraries are the solution," he said, referring to the options provided by the green buildings themselves and the answers people find in them when they get the information they need.
The Ann Arbor District Library sponsored a month-long series of programs and events in May 2002 on sustainaability. Libraries prove to be an ideal environment for exploring such a broad, interconnected topic as sustainability, not only because of the position as a community center and reputation as an educational resource in their own right, but also because of the libraries' mission-driven commitment to reuse and recycle through the materials-lending policies.
Library Journal's Sustainability Institued has held seminars in various areas of the United States for six years.
When I checked the Library Literature and Information Schience Full Text dataabase, I found 46 hits with the terms library and sustainability. One article went so far as to give Andrew Carnegie credit for being sustainable because of his philosophical endeavors. I would not go that far, but libraries and environmental sustainaability are definitely linked and historically libraries have shared in these concerns and solutions.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
News to use
Libraries are leaders in environmental sustainability and responsibility. What concerns people concerns libraries. So environmental sustainability and responsibility are library concerns. As gateways to information, libraries are seen as leaders in the community. In this place libraries can serve to lead users, members and the community in the environmental sustainability movement.
An article full of resources and ideas is in The Unabashed Librarian and the article title is Going Green Starts @ Your Library. This is found in Ebsco's GreenFile database.
Libraryjournal.com's Design Institute has been sponsoring a series of seminars with the going green theme. Number six will be December 11, when our blogs are due. Information can be found at www.libraryjournal.com/info/CA6672415.html and this one is free. This seminar is in Texas and is a one day seminar on green design, plus an optional tour of Dallas Public Library's new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) libraries. They will bring together leading architects, designers, librarians and vendors for the challenges facing libraries creating 21st century sustainable buildings. This is a day long series of green themed presentations, panels and breakout sessions to learn the developments, options, costs and strategies being developed. Also each attendee with have the opportunity to participate in two hands on breakout sessions with architects. The focus of the breakout sessions will be design challenges submitted by attendees prior to the event. All attendees will have a chance for their design challenge to be selected by the architects. The design challenges need not be solely going green, but the architects will incorporate green solutions.
Louisville Free Public Library has a monthly 6R Movement program for ages 12-19. Students learn to reduce waste and reuse unwanted or discarded items by creating unique, environmentally friendly products. The next program is November 9, 2009. The six Rs are Reduce, Reuse, Reclaim, Redesign, Recycle and Renew. It is not the three Rs anymore.
An article full of resources and ideas is in The Unabashed Librarian and the article title is Going Green Starts @ Your Library. This is found in Ebsco's GreenFile database.
Libraryjournal.com's Design Institute has been sponsoring a series of seminars with the going green theme. Number six will be December 11, when our blogs are due. Information can be found at www.libraryjournal.com/info/CA6672415.html and this one is free. This seminar is in Texas and is a one day seminar on green design, plus an optional tour of Dallas Public Library's new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) libraries. They will bring together leading architects, designers, librarians and vendors for the challenges facing libraries creating 21st century sustainable buildings. This is a day long series of green themed presentations, panels and breakout sessions to learn the developments, options, costs and strategies being developed. Also each attendee with have the opportunity to participate in two hands on breakout sessions with architects. The focus of the breakout sessions will be design challenges submitted by attendees prior to the event. All attendees will have a chance for their design challenge to be selected by the architects. The design challenges need not be solely going green, but the architects will incorporate green solutions.
Louisville Free Public Library has a monthly 6R Movement program for ages 12-19. Students learn to reduce waste and reuse unwanted or discarded items by creating unique, environmentally friendly products. The next program is November 9, 2009. The six Rs are Reduce, Reuse, Reclaim, Redesign, Recycle and Renew. It is not the three Rs anymore.
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