Resilient Communities

Resilient Communities, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), helps libraries engage their communities in programs and conversations that address the climate crisis.

Resilient Communities: Advancing Sustainability in and through Libraries (2025-26)

Resilient Communities: Advancing Sustainability in and through Libraries, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, will inform public library workers about the principles and practices of sustainable librarianship, and empower them to begin taking action in their own communities. As community leaders and facilitators, libraries should be modeling sustainable practices among their staff and within their facilities.

Applications open October 8 through November 14, 2025: One-hundred public library workers will be selected to complete “Sustainable Librarianship: Core Competencies and Practices,” a four-part asynchronous e-course. In addition to free tuition to the course, participants will engage in a community of practice with advisors and peers over the course of six months. Learn more.

The Resilient Communities: Advancing Sustainability in and through Libraries program has been made possible by a private funder.

Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change (2020-21)

The pilot program funded film screenings, community dialogues and related events based on local interest in 25 public and academic libraries. It also funded the creation of a suite of free programming resources about the climate crisis that is available to all libraries.

The Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change pilot program was made possible by Andrew and Carol Phelps.