Abstract
As the topic of sustainability becomes more relevant to all types of libraries, two academic science librarians share a case study on identifying and filling gaps in sustainability-related engagement, education, and collaboration at a mid-sized R1 research university. Seeking to transform their academic library into a Campus Sustainability Hub, the two authors began working towards this ambitious goal by establishing strong partnerships with sustainability-minded organizations and individuals both on and off campus, as well as by prioritizing the creation of community-centered programming that would engage audiences in sustainability content, research, and activism. After more than a year of building collaborations and fostering community engagement, they were successful in accomplishing their goal of establishing their academic library as a Campus Sustainability Hub. This case study provides more details on how the librarians reached this goal, including why they initially decided to undertake such a large task, how they chose to define a “Sustainability Hub,” what benchmarks they needed to meet in order to obtain this status, how they reached these benchmarks, and how they plan on continuing to grow this initiative.
References
AASHE. (2020). 2020 Campus Sustainability Index. https://www.aashe.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SCI_2020.pdf
American Library Association. (2019, May 14). ALA adding sustainability as a core value of librarianship [Press release]. https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2019/05/ala-adding-sustainability-core-value-librarianship
Antonelli, M. (2008). The Green Library movement: An overview and beyond. Electronic Green Journal, 1(27). https://doi.org/10.5070/g312710757
Applin, M.B. (2009). Building a sustainability collection: A selected bibliography. Reference Services Review, 37(3), 313-325. DOI: 10.1108/00907320910982802.
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). (n.d.). History of AASHE: Milestones. https://www.aashe.org/about-us/aashe-history/
Atton, C. (1993, November). Green librarianship: a revolt against change. Assistant Librarian, 86, 166-7.
Aulisio, G. J. (2013). Green libraries are more than just buildings. Electronic Green Journal, 1(35). https://doi.org/10.5070/G313514058
Communities Responding to Extreme Weather [CREW]. (n.d.) Climate Resilience Hubs. Retrieved on Nov. 9, 2020, from https://www.climatecrew.org/resilience_hubs?locale=en
Fedorowicz-Kruszewska, M. (2020). Environmental education in libraries – theoretical foundations and practical implementation. Library Management, 41(4/5), 279-293. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-12-2019-0087
Hauke, P., Grunwald, M., & Wilde, A. (2014). Green libraries coming up! National and international initiatives fostering environmental sustainable libraries and library services. BOBCATSSS 2014 Proceedings, 1(1), 65-72. https://proceedings.bobcatsss2014.hb.se/article/download/316/414
Hauke, P. (2018). From information literacy to green literacy : Training librarians as trainers for sustainability literacy. IFLA WLIC 2018, 1–10. http://library.ifla.org/2147/1/116-hauke-en.pdf
Jankowska, M.A. (Ed.). (2014). Focus on Educating for Sustainability: Toolkit for Academic Libraries. Library Juice Press.
Jankowska, M. A., Smith, B. J., & Buehler, M. A. (2014). Engagement of academic libraries and information science schools in creating curriculum for sustainability: An exploratory study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 40(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2013.10.013
Jankowska, M. A., & Marcum, J. W. (2010). Sustainability challenge for academic libraries: Planning for the future. College and Research Libraries, 71(2), 160-170. https://doi.org/10.5860/0710160
Kane, K., & Sklar, A. (2014). Greening the mothership: Growing the Environmental Sustainability Group at the UC San Diego Library. In M.A. Jankowska (Ed.). Focus on Educating for Sustainability: Toolkit for Academic Libraries, 211–226. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8nt5h1rj
Kearney, M.; Miller, E.; Horvath, D.; Shepherd, J.; Embree, J.K.; Huber, A.; Gilman, N.; Melione, A.; Dibbell, J.; & Gay, A. (2020). 50 Years of Earth Day: A Virtual Panel Exploring the Evolution of Sustainability Education since 1970. Binghamton, NY. https://orb.binghamton.edu/library_resources/2
LeRue, J. & LeRue, S. (1991). The green librarian. Wilson Library Bulletin, 65, 27-33.
Loder, M. W. (2010). Libraries with a future: how are academic library usage and green demands changing building designs?. College & Research Libraries, 71(4), 348-360. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl-37r1
Long, S.A. (2000). American Library Association Message from ALA President Sarah Ann Long : Libraries Can Help Build Sustainable Communities. American Libraries. 31(6), 27–28. DOI: 10.2307/25637649
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.) Hub. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hub
Nichols, K. E. (2014). Academic Libraries as Sustainability Leaders. In M.A. Jankowska (Ed.). Focus on Educating for Sustainability: Toolkit for Academic Libraries (199-210). Library Juice Press.
Pun, R. & Shaffer, G. L. (Eds). (2019) The Sustainable Library’s Cookbook. Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change. (2020). American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/tools/programming/climatechange
Sierra Club. (2019). Cool Schools 2019 Full Ranking. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/cool-schools-2019/cool-schools-2019-full-ranking
Special Collections. (2020, April 21). Fifty Years of Earth Day. Binghamton University Libraries Blog. https://libnews.binghamton.edu/news/specialcollections/2020/04/21/fifty-years-of-earth-day/
STARS. (n.d.) STARS Participants & Reports. The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/participants-and-reports/
STARS. (2020). Binghamton University. The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/binghamton-university-ny/report/2020-03-05/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2020 International Journal of Librarianship