ALA-SLI National Climate Action Strategy Working Group will hold open forum March 14

CHICAGO — The National Climate Action Strategy Working Group, a joint project of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) and the American Library Association (ALA), is planning an open forum to introduce a draft Climate Action Strategy for Libraries to ALA members and to solicit feedback from the field. The open forum will be held on Thursday, March 14th, at 1:00 p.m. CT.

Climate action is one of ALA President Emily Drabinski’s presidential initiatives.

“We know how important the role of libraries is when it comes to addressing climate change and the very survival of our planet,” Drabinski said. “I’m excited that the National Climate Action Strategy Working Group is raising awareness of this critical issue and offering practical tips so librarians from all types of libraries can do our part.”

The group began meeting last fall, and they are working on providing librarians language and focus on sustainability, as well as ways to address climate action locally. Sustainability was reconfirmed as an ALA core value in January 2024, and this group is developing resources to accelerate the work.

All library workers and trustees are invited to the open forum March 14. Here is the Zoom link to register.

After the open forum, the working group will circulate a member survey to solicit feedback from the field on barriers and opportunities to libraries and climate action.  

Members of the National Climate Action Strategy working group are Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Library System (NY) and the co-founder/current president of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI); Jennifer Ferriss, Assistant Director of the Saratoga Springs Public Library (NY) and SLI Advisory Board member; Lisa Kropp, Director of the Lindenhurst Memorial Library (NY) and SLI Advisory Board member; Matthew Bollerman, CEO of the Hauppauge Public Library and the co-founder/current vice president of the SLI; Tina Chan, reference services program manager and humanities librarian at MIT Libraries and immediate past coordinator of the ALA Sustainability Round Table; Colleen Seisser, YALSA 2023-24 President, Assistant Director at the Westmont Public Library in Westmont, Illinois; Dr. Jen Cannell, School Library System Director at Southern Westchester BOCES and instructor at Syracuse University and St. John Fisher University and SLI Advisory Board member, Eira Tansey, archivist, researcher, and consultant based in Cincinnati/the Ohio River watershed; Stacey Aldrich, State Librarian of Hawaii and Chair of the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries; Veronda J. Pitchford, Assistant Director of Califa Group; Mandi Goodsett, Performing Arts & Humanities Librarian and OER & Copyright Advisor at Cleveland State University and Coordinator of the ALA Sustainability Round Table; Christina Rodriques, Senior Program Manager for Member Relations at OCLC and ALA Executive Board Member; Susan Hempstead; Assistant Director of Strategic Relations at Sno-Isle Libraries in Washington State (north of Seattle); Beth Filar Williams, who has always been a consistent sustainability advocate and educator, including green library blogging for over a decade and a tenured User Experience Research librarian at Oregon State University Libraries and Press; Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada, the Immediate ALA Past President and City of Glendale Assistant Director of Library, Arts and Culture in Southern California; Mary Sauer-Games, Vice President of Global Product Management for OCLC; Michele Stricker, Deputy State Librarian in New Jersey; Sara Dallas, director of the Southern Adirondack Library System and ALA Executive Board Member; Jensen Adams, Sustainability Manager, City of Kansas City and Chair of the ALA Council Committee on Sustainability. 

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.