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The Grand Challenge of Climate Change and Sustainability in Modern Libraries

Introduction

Managers of modern libraries face a myriad of challenges both in their normal day-to-day operations and overall in their specific role. Accomplishing this while following a strategic plan for what they and their library’s board of directors wish to achieve in the next three-to-five years can sometimes be a tightrope to walk. A topic that should be taken into consideration when planning and strategizing for the future are the effects of climate change, sustainability, and just what form and potentialities might occur for the organization in that regard. Not only should climate change be at the forefront of a library manager’s mind, but it also goes hand-in-hand with advancing sustainable policies and helps bring a focus onto hazard mitigation. Libraries are stakeholders when it comes to efforts to combat climate change and pushing forth with sustainable ideas. As such, libraries are positioned to play an important role in helping their communities thrive even when faced with unprecedented events.

There are a number of discussions that can be included in a conversation about climate change and libraries as the scope is so large. In this case, the focus will remain on sustainability and sustainability practices, Hurricane Katrina and the effects of flooding, and finally the rising temperatures and heat waves that are faced each and every summer. Hurricanes are a normal part of life for many people across the Southeastern United States, as are the hot temperatures in Florida and other states that are experienced throughout the majority of the year. These topics are important to break down for a management perspective, especially as this author lives in Florida, and they are all challenges that could come up one day in the workplace. Researching these particular topics and learning about how librarians handled these situations in real time is a way to learn how to be as prepared as possible for whatever challenges arise in the future.    

Grand Challenge and Implications

The grand challenge of climate change and sustainability combined with how managers can find possible solutions and implement those new ideas are something that every 21st century library manager and library’s board of directors should have at the forefront of their strategic plans. There is not a single library branch around the world that does not feel some effect from natural disasters, rising temperatures, or has a need to implement sustainable practices. At the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2015 Annual Conference and Exhibition, the ALA Council adopted the Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries based on a similar resolution passed by the New York Library Association a year prior. The passing of this resolution was a turning point in the history of the American library, as it is the professional recognition of the important and unique role that libraries can play in the wider community conversations about resiliency, climate change, and a sustainable future for us all. Additionally, it marks a new era of sustainable thinking or the alignment of a library’s core values and resources (including staff time and energy, facilities, collections and technology) with the local and global community’s right to endure, bounce back from disruption, and thrive by bringing new and energetic life to fruition through choices made in all areas of library operations and outreach (Aldrich, 2017). When a library works to become intersectional not just with its approach to the different demographics of patrons, but with its approach to climate change and sustainability, the entire global community will benefit. Furthermore, it aligns directly with the ethics, goals, and ability for libraries to improve the lives of its patrons and the overall community.

There is a comfortable feeling in sharing space and sharing resources provided by the library. When the library feels like a place where every member of the community can feel like they belong, that's a wonderful feeling on the best of days, but can bring a feeling of safety on the worst. For communities affected by natural disasters, some patrons and community members go to the library just for a tiny bit of normalcy, for a feeling of familiarity, and as part of the healing process (Patin, 2020). This can be seen in stories about the many catastrophic hurricanes that have hit along the Gulf Coast and Eastern seaboard. In these cases, it’s most important for a library to be open as some community members may not have anywhere else to go.

Effects of climate change can become a factor for any service that a library delivers to its community. Issues that arise in this case, such as an impending hurricane or storm or the unexpected need to close a library branch because the temperature threshold for a safe work environment has been reached, cause interruption for all involved. It interrupts service that patrons rely on (checkout, internet use, or just resting in a quiet environment) and tasks that the library staff need to accomplish (processing materials, interacting with patrons, or something as simple as keeping a book drop from piling up with returns) go undone (Beekman, 2022). In the case of a natural disaster, this can mean a disruption can last for weeks, months, or even years. This makes it paramount for libraries to have a practical approach in place to promote preparedness and resilience with the idea that preparedness ready's a community for disaster and resilience considers the ability to bounce back after that something happens. Further, resilience expands traditional preparedness and prevention programs by encouraging actions that build a community’s ability to return to normal after a disaster (Patin, 2020).

Literature Review

Sustainability

Libraries serve communities and must be able to provide resources to mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change, such as pollution, water scarcity, deforestation, rising energy costs, droughts, and catastrophic weather events. Emerging in the 1990s, the Green Library Movement, which is composed of librarians, libraries, cities, towns, and college and university campuses committed to greening libraries and reducing their environmental impact (Kornfeind, 2022), remains a trend in the library and information science profession. Advocates of this movement promote a community awareness of sustainability, climate change, and environmental issues, but it’s not without its challenges.

Library managers who are confronted by potential renovations or building a new location all together can create a “greener” space by constructing using a performance standard like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). It is a certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council based on six criteria: sustainable sites, water, efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design (Chauhan, 2015). This will require prioritizing renewable energy sources, energy efficient building materials, and smart technologies to automate library systems, but also concepts like solar power to reduce energy consumption, constructing tree plantations around libraries to combat pollution, switching to light emitting diode light bulbs, decreasing water waste by utilizing sensor-based features in restrooms, and installing updated, efficient HVAC systems. All of these ideas work in tandem to create a culture of green building. Another way to accomplish this is to repurpose existing historic structures, which preserves the built environment within a city rather than witnessing the continued demolition of older buildings (Kornfeind, 2022). Regardless of the path, it could still be cost prohibitive either way given that most libraries operate on smaller budgets or might be the first to receive a budget cut when working with local governments.

In terms of extending awareness Chauhan (2015) emphasizes that librarians should not only choose the methods for green libraries but also make the public aware about green libraries for sustaining the future. Encouraging sustainable practices like recycling, making sure to use both sides of a piece of paper when printing, prioritizing digital resources, and incorporating smart or automated technology for lighting, heating, fans, ventilation systems can motivate members of the community to incorporate those practices into their own homes and lifestyle. Another way to accomplish this is for managers to consider including a Sustainability Coordinator on staff who oversees a team of employees from different departments whose collateral duty is to focus on promoting sustainable practices within their workspaces.This team should focus on implementing the triple-bottom line framework through engagement and education (Lindenhurst Memorial Library). This is a great way for libraries to set an example for their communities and promote sustainability practices as a continued core value.

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 of each year and as the years have gone on, communities along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, parts of the East Coast, and everywhere in between have faced incredible challenges bouncing back after these massive and immeasurable storms. During the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans libraries were among the hardest hit once the levees eventually collapsed due to this 1,000-year flood. Eight of the city’s twelve library branches were severely damaged by the flood. Most of the city’s public schools were flooded, destroying their school libraries in the process, and of the twelve higher learning institutions in the New Orleans metropolitan area nearly all of the libraries experienced some form of damage and/or interruption of service (Skinner, 2006).

On a brief personal note, the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed over the hometown of someone close to this author in Waveland, Mississippi. Having the opportunity to visit last year and getting to see first hand why the flooding was so catastrophic was eye-opening. The town took a direct hit including its libraries. Two of the four Hancock County Library System’s branches in Pearlington and Waveland were completely destroyed and the American Library Association initially reported an assessment of loss estimating $6 million. Luckily, both of the surviving branches were able to open two weeks after landfall and were able to provide a central meeting point and services for the community including satellite telephone, a medical clinic, and provide a place for residents to get internet, good stamp cards, copy or download documents, as well as give a clean and cool place to relax after cleaning up all day (Dankowski, 2015). To this day, the whole of Hancock County, as well as many communities along Gulf Coast Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana are still in Katrina recovery not so much physically, but emotionally. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, everyone in the area measured storm damage in terms of Hurricane Camille which hit in the late 1960s. Now, the before-and-after “the storm” conversations are forever ingrained to Hurricane Katrina.

The main building of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane University covers an area larger than a football field and was left with eight feet of water from Hurricane Katrina’s flooding in its basement. This space was home to Howard-Tilton's music library and large collections of government documents, newspapers, and microforms. By the end of accounting for materials, this amounted to more than 750,000 of the library’s print volumes and recordings and 1.5 million individual pieces of microform being submerged for more than three weeks. Across the street at Jones Hall about four feet of water filled its lowest level, which lended its space to the library’s special collections made up of about 700,000 or so manuscript folders and other archival items. Once the storm passed, a major operation was quickly staged to drain both of these spaces in order to salvage the materials which essentially created the Tulane Libraries Recovery Center. This center handled the more than one million items from restoration, donations, and initial replacement purchases that helped rebuild the collections that were damaged or completely lost. The first initial batch of restored materials was delivered back to Howard-Tilton in March of 2008, but even with such a quick turnaround projects at the center continued until early 2016 (Tulane University Libraries, Tulane Libraries Recovery Center).

The recovery efforts across the Gulf Coast were insurmountable for everyday people, let alone those who staffed libraries that had to face the loss both at home and at work. According to the 2020 study conducted by Patin, which focused on surveying library directors, assistant directors, and branch managers who had experienced a disaster in the last fifteen years, the library directors surveyed noted the selflessness of their librarians and the dedication to keep branches open. One participant said “even though almost all of our staff lived in homes that were flooded, everyone showed up to work. We all wanted to do something. In the first few days before we had power, we still reported because it was better than just sitting home in the dark and not knowing what to do with yourself.” Of the survey conducted, one of the most common reflections made by the Library Directors was that many did not have disaster plans in place. While this didn’t stop them from responding, it delayed and hindered what should have been a coordinated response (Patin, 2020).

Rising Temperatures

As with much of the nation’s infrastructure, many of the nation’s library buildings are aging and are, on average, about 40 years old (Sax, 2021). These are buildings that need significant upgrades and repairs to handle the challenges of climate change considering the contributing factor of the continued rising temperatures across much of the world. In 2022, the Seattle Public Library system closed more than 130 times full- or partial-day due to the heat in June, July, and August. In addition, nine of the system’s 27 branches lack air conditioning with six of those nine having been built without air conditioning and two of those preceding six without air conditioning having been built more than 100 years ago. The policy is to close when the indoor temperatures hit or are expected to hit 80 degrees for more than an hour. However, this policy was changed in the past five years as it was 90 degrees, but then lowered to 85 degrees in 2018. The onset of COVID-19 brought that threshold down to 80 degrees given employees’ discomfort wearing masks in hotter temperatures. The Seattle Public Library system plans to add air conditioning at several branches in the coming years and is currently seeking funding for other branches  (Beekman, 2022).

With temperatures continuing to rise each year, especially in the summer months, public libraries are serving in another role or place of sanctuary for the community as cooling or warming centers adding to the library’s versatility as a place for the entire community. Excessive heat and excessive cold creates a health risk, especially for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions, and takes many forms, including heat fatigue, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. During the summer of 2021 in Clackamas County, Oregon, authorities designated 21 local cooling centers and over half were libraries. Just to the north in Multnomah County, around 7600 people sought shelter in nine public libraries over four of the hottest days that year (Sax, 2021). This was during an excessive heat wave, with some places reaching above 115 degrees Fahrenheit, in the Pacific Northwest where hundreds of people were found dead at home in houses that did not have air conditioning or fans. This is just a big part of the story about how the Pacific Northwest, and libraries across the country, are not equipped for the scorching hot summer weathers that many cities are now facing. Meteorologists described the cause as a dome of high pressure over the Northwest which was worsened by human-caused climate change (Selsky, 2021).

Temperature rises are especially notable in underserved and low-income communities, as they often have less trees and therefore less shade to cool things off, but also have a higher density of people of color who are at a higher risk of illness or death. There’s a greater likelihood of service disconnections in these communities or, in some cases, energy companies sometimes deliberately shut off power to avoid larger disruptions (Sax, 2021). During a deadly heat wave in the summer of 2021, the utility company for a section of southeast Brooklyn in New York City cut cooling power for several hours affecting nearly 50,000 customers, many of whom were among the city’s most at-risk for heat-related death and were in majority-black neighborhoods (Calma, 2019). The utility stated without this preemptive move that the number of customers without power could have grown to 130,000 and that it was unaware of the city’s heat vulnerability index or that neighborhoods affected by the blackout ranked high in risk for heat deaths. This type of willful ignorance is what marginalized communities across the United States face every day. However, situations like these are why libraries will open their doors as cooling centers, given that they are part of a community’s infrastructure. This inasmuch that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has formally recognized libraries as essential community organizations alongside police, fire protection/emergency services, medical care, education, and utilities (Patin, 2020).

Solutions

One way for a library manager to combat the materials loss due to a natural disaster brought on by climate change is to mandate a disaster management plan. When Hurricane Irma hit the State of Florida in August of 2017, Florida libraries stepped up as comfort stations, emergency information resources, Red Cross aid stations, relief centers, call centers, charging stations, aiding members of the community in filling out disaster aid applications, and providing Internet and Wi-Fi access for those without. While this author wasn’t as heavily impacted, aside from a loss of power for around 24 hours, there were people that she knew who needed to utilize these resources around the state. Without a disaster management plan in place, Florida libraries would not have been able to bounce back so quickly to be available for their communities. In order to prepare a disaster management plan, Skinner lists a series of a questions that librarians should ask themselves (Skinner, 2006):

  • Are we located in a flood zone of a river or low-lying coastal area?
  • At what level above the street are the library entrances located?
  • If there is a basement, how floodproof is it?
  • If the entrances are at or just above street level, or if there are basement storage areas, what parts of the collection are located in those areas?
  • How can the library rearrange collections in order to place more vulnerable things higher in the building?
  • How much of the collection is digital and should it be moved into a greater percentage?

All of the above questions can be utilized to formulate a disaster management plan that works for each individual library or library system or, in the case of an academic library, where the library fits into a campus-wide disaster plan and the overall strategic plan.

The disaster management plan should not only cover what a library will do to help the community in a time of catastrophe, but what steps need to be taken if the library itself is also facing damage or loss in the same situation. A proactive approach will have someone on a library’s staff acting as a Sustainability Coordinator, but library managers between private and state or locally supported institutions have a few options at hand to consider. Those at private institutions should review insurance coverage for their collections. Considering the consistent inflation across the board and prices of books increasing over time, it is likely that collections may be underinsured in today’s market. With regard to state or locally supported institutions, time should be taken to go over state plans and guidelines with a fine toothed comb to understand what the response would be for dealing with an on-campus disaster accounting that recovery operations could possibly be delayed when work needs to go out for bid. The institution’s disaster management plan should take all of this into account and to expect that part, if not all, of a library’s collection may be at stake in the meantime due to mold or other side effects (Skinner, 2006).

The American Library Association, along with members of Congress, have been working on a federal solution to assist libraries with the effects of climate change and prioritizing resilience. Introduced on January 28, 2021 in the US Senate (S. 127) and March 3, 2021 in the US House of Representatives (H.R. 1581), the Build America’s Libraries Act would fund upgrades to the nation’s library infrastructure to address challenges such as natural disasters, broadband capacity, environmental hazards, and accessibility barriers paving the way for new and improved library facilities in underserved communities across the country. This bill would provide $5 billion to repair, modernize, and construct library facilities with funding distributed through the Institute of Museum of Library Services (IMLS) to state library agencies. State libraries would then award grants on a competitive basis to libraries in each state with funding prioritized to libraries serving marginalized communities (American Library Association). Not only should library managers be taking a look at what’s happening at the federal level with a bill such as the Build America’s Libraries Act, but they should also be considering grants from organizations like FEMA, the ALA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Institute of Museum and Library Services, or even just at the state-level as many states have those funding opportunities. Library managers should have someone on staff who is fluent in writing grants and has the institutional knowledge to speak on the library’s needs and future endeavors. Investing in libraries by updating vital needs across the board, especially those that relate to resilience, will make all the difference.

Taking the lead from the ALA, each library should strive to name sustainability as one of its core values. To help define this core value, the ALA adopted the triple bottom line (TBL) framework of sustainability, which was created to help mobilize the library community to feel less intimidated by the ideas of climate change and sustainability. The TBL is a venn diagram which intersects the ideas of being (1) Environmentally Sound, (2) Economically Feasible, and (3) Socially Equitable. At the heart of TBL is the idea of balancing the realities of ecological limits with humans’ right to exist in a fair and just world that is economically feasible for all. Inspired by the Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries, this framework aligns with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is an inclusive, integrated framework of seventeen sustainable development goals that span economic, environmental, and social development (American Library Association). Keeping these two frameworks in mind, a library manager should focus on balancing these ideas within its overall climate and sustainability policies. Solutions to the grand challenge of climate change and sustainability should fit each aspect of this venn diagram.

Conclusion

Addressing the grand challenge of climate change, sustainability, and how managers can find possible solutions and implement new ideas within this ever changing development is the ultimate goal. For library managers, there are easy policies and procedures that they can promote to create a culture in their library that values sustainability as a beginning. After that, there are bigger picture ideas that are going to take some strategizing given the size or scope, but are feasible for any size library. It just takes the time and effort to implement them into an everyday habit or to work with the library’s leadership to create a plan to achieve them.

With the ever-changing temperatures and weather on Planet Earth, it’s definitely better to be prepared for anything that might come your way, rather than the opposite. By taking the lead in their communities by providing outreach, programming, instructional services, library operations, and providing support, libraries can take a multi-pronged approach to adopting values of sustainability and prepare for the potentialities that come with climate change. Every choice that a library manager makes, whether it's related to operations, program and service design, or outreach and partnerships, all add up to tell the story of that particular library or institution and where the priorities lie (Aldrich, 2017). Simply, if you support your community then the community will support your library, especially when creating connections, advancements, and solutions necessary for a better world.




References

Aldrich, R. S. (2017, April 20). Libraries and sustainable thinking. American Libraries Magazine. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/libraries-and-sustainable-thinking/

American Library Association. (2021, March 3). Build America's Libraries Act One-Pager. American Library Association. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/advleg/tools/BALA%202021%20House%20and%20Senate%20April%202021.pdf

American Library Association. (n.d.). Final Report of the ALA Special Task Force on Sustainability. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ala.org.aboutala/files/content/governance/ExecutiveBoard/ebd5_4_Task%20Force%20on%20Sustainability_Final%20Report_6.2018.pdf

American Library Association. (n.d.). Sustainability in libraries: A call to action. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ala.org.aboutala/files/content/SustainabilityInLibraries_Briefing_Final_April2022.pdf

Beekman, D. (2022, September 5). Why Seattle Libraries had more than 130 closures this summer. The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/why-seattle-libraries-had-more-than-130-closures-this-summer/

Calma, J. (2021, April 1). During deadly heat wave, New York utility cut power to high-risk neighborhoods. Grist. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://grist.org/article/during-deadly-heat-wave-new-york-utility-cut-power-to-high-risk-neighborhoods/

Chauhan, K. (2015). Green initiatives for libraries: an environment for next generation. International Journal of Tropical Agriculture, 33(2 (Part IV)), 1893–1897. https://doi-org.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/https://serialsjournals.com/archives.php?journals_id=56

Dankowski, T. (2016, April 5). Coming together as one Mississippi. American Libraries Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/coming-together-as-one-mississippi/

Kornfeind, M. (2022). Advocacy and Action: How Libraries Across the Globe are Addressing Climate Change. World Libraries, 26(1), 1–14.

Lindenhurst Memorial Library. (n.d.). Sustainability. Sustainability | Lindenhurst Memorial Library. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.lindenhurstlibrary.org/about/sustainability

Patin B. (2020). What is essential?: Understanding community resilience and public libraries in the United States during disasters. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology. Association for Information Science and Technology, 57(1), e269. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.269

Sax, S. (2021, September 13). Why investing in libraries is a climate justice issue. High Country News – Know the West. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.hcn.org/articles/north-social-justice-why-investing-in-libraries-is-a-climate-justice-issue

Selsky, A. (2021, July 2). Hundreds believed dead in Pacific Northwest Heat Wave despite efforts to help. PBS. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/hundreds-believed-dead-in-pacific-northwest-heat-wave-despite-efforts-to-help

Skinner, R. E. (2006). “Nor Any Drop to Drink”: New Orleans Libraries in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Public Library Quarterly, 25(3/4), 179–187. https://doi-org.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/10.1300/J118v25n03_15

Tulane University Libraries. (n.d.). Tulane Libraries Recovery Center. TU Libraries. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://library.tulane.edu/about/tulane-libraries-recovery-center