Green Libraries Conference returns on 25 November, with a theme of Every Library a Green Library, the conference offers practical insights into how to build and develop services that support a sustainable future. Rob Green talks to Laragh Quinney and Megan Veitch of National Library Scotland and Vicky Clarke from Blackpool Library Service.

LIBRARIES can be catalysts for environmental change through the services they provide, and by empowering people to be agents of change in the local communities and globally. Green Libraries Conference is an opportunity for all those working in libraries to learn more about how services can adapt to support positive change. Laragh Quinney and Vicky Clarke will both be joining a discussion panel on Sustainable Collections and Climate Literacy.

 

Climate Literacy Training

Laragh is Map Reading Room Manager for the National Library of Scotland, and along with her colleague Megan is Security Supervisor for the National Library of Scotland. In 2023 the pair took on responsibility as the library’s Climate Action Plan co-leads.

Laragh says: “I’ve always loved spending time in nature and been interested in environmental news and research. But in recent years I’ve found the urgency of the climate crisis frightening. I want to find ways I can take action on climate issues. I was delighted when a secondment opportunity came up to spend part of my time as Programme Lead for the National Library of Scotland’s Climate Action Plan.”

Megan echoes those fears and the need for people to take responsibility now, before it is too late, saying: “My love of the ocean and the environment started at a very young age growing up in Northeast Fife. The older I got, the stronger my passion became, leading me to a master’s degree in marine resource development and protection from Heriot Watt University. Over the years my concern for the environment has only grown and I count myself very lucky to be able to make a difference.”

Build resilience

As co-leads on the National Library’s Climate Action Plan, Laragh and Megan took responsibility for implementing and monitoring actions to help achieve the aims of the plan, which was created in 2021. The reality of that means tracking objectives, creating collaboration opportunities – both internally and with the wider community, and sharing information with colleagues across the organisation.

Megan says: “There are over 80 actions in the plan, so we need to work with colleagues from all the departments in the library to try and complete these. As well as working to cut our own carbon footprint, the library is also keen to use our collections to help build resilience and improve climate literacy across Scotland. We want to find ways to promote sustainability in our collections, events and wider engagement.”

It soon emerged that staff were keen to understand more, as Laragh explains: “Our Climate Action Plan had identified that our staff were looking for training in this area. So, in early 2023 we arranged for a trainer to deliver a day of carbon literacy training using the Carbon Literacy for Museums toolkit. This was an engaging and inspiring day. But although libraries and museums have many similar concerns, we felt an important message about how libraries are a great model of sustainability and can support their communities was missing.

“Carbon Literacy training is all about inspiring action and our trainer encouraged us to take on a group action to develop a Carbon Literacy for Libraries course. This was both terrifying and exciting! And it fitted well with the National Library of Scotland’s desire to advocate for climate action and help share good practice across the library sector.”

Sustainable collaboration

Laragh points out that the development of the course was collaborative from the start, saying: We needed to raise funding to purchase the rights to adapt the Museums toolkit and have the new course validated by the Carbon Literacy Trust. A huge thank you to CILIPS, who funded us from their Research Fund.

“We wanted to create a course that would be relevant to librarians from different sectors, so our first step was to recruit project partners from other ¬library sectors. A shout-out on the Green Libraries Network brought us some enthusiastic volunteers, while a presentation on the project at the CILIPS Green Libraries Gathering allowed us to gather early feedback on what librarians would want from the course.”

A project team of volunteers from across the profession worked on reviewing and updating the carbon literacy training for libraries course. This included collecting case studies from libraries across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The course offers insights from public libraries, NHS libraries, university libraries, school libraries and more, ensuring everyone can find some practical inspiration for their own service.

The course is designed to empower staff to look at the decisions they are making and choose the most sustainable approach. Megan says: “Carbon Literacy for Libraries was developed by librarians for librarians. It looks at the impacts of ¬climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, climate justice, carbon footprints, sustainable development goals, national and international treaties and frameworks. It discusses how libraries can tell climate stories and support sustainable communities. And it finishes by helping learners develop their own actions to carry out in their libraries. All learners completing the course and filling in their participant action form are certified as carbon literate by the Carbon Literacy Trust.

“Carbon Literacy for Libraries is a shareable course. It’s designed to spread ‘root and branch’. If you have received carbon literacy certification you can become a trainer and cascade the course to others. We can make all the course materials available to libraries and really hope that this project spreads out across the country and reaches as many library staff as possible.

“We’d love to end up with hundreds of librarians certified as carbon literate and pledging their own actions to cut carbon emissions.”

Play your part

So, what can you do to make a difference? Both Laragh and Megan say that the training is a great way to begin, and could lead to even more action being taken.

“Individuals and organisations can get involved by taking part in Carbon Literacy Training,” says Megan. “They can also commit to cascading the training within their workplaces and communities, ensuring a broad reach and long-term impact. The National Library of Scotland and CILIPS are planning more Carbon Literacy for Libraries training sessions in coming months, both online and in-person, and we’ve had 3 libraries get in touch to start cascading the course themselves.

“The course is designed to be flexible. Training can be delivered online or in person, and can take a full day, two half-days or be split into four separate modules. Whatever suits your situation best.”

Laragh adds: “As well as cutting your library’s carbon footprint, the training looks at the idea of green carbon handprints – how libraries can help their communities reduce carbon emissions. There are great examples of libraries setting up lend and mend hubs or hosting climate events that engage their community and signpost to local sustainable projects.

“We feel the concept of green handprints could be incredibly important for library advocacy and explaining how every library is a green library. We should celebrate loud and proud how libraries are helping their communities to cut carbon emissions.”

Eco-hub finds home in library

Joining Laragh on the panel discussion will be Vicky Clarke, Head of Libraries at Blackpool Council. Vicky runs the library service, covering eight libraries – including a Carnegie library and on based in a launderette.

The service has recently launched its eco-hub, a one-stop shop for information and advice on sustainability. Vicky describes it as “a point of contact with the public, able to provide information and support to de-carbonise the wider area, whilst also serving as a demonstrator of various low carbon technologies.”

Blackpool Central Library was chosen as the home for the hub, which was developed in conjunction with Blackpool Council, Groundworks and Cosy Homes In Lancashire using funds from the Government Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).

The right space

Vicky says: “An area was created inside the library that members of the public and businesses could visit to receive advice on how to make their homes and businesses more efficient and work towards being carbon neutral in the future. Ground works have a team of Green Doctors who work with Cosy Homes staff in people’s homes and grants can be allocated to qualifying residents to upgrade their homes.

“The library service has a dedicated Eco Hub engagement assistant who work with the Eco Hub teams and the public to spread the word about what they can do to help to tackle climate change on a small scale and raise awareness in our communities.”

Putting the hub in the library, which is co-located with a leisure centre makes it convenient and accessible to users. The development of the hub has seen work done to de-carbonise the space, with the addition of solar panels and heat pumps. Further work is envisaged, with options already being explored.

Vicky says: “[The] location next to the leisure centre gives an opportunity to host a data centre reducing the carbon footprint of the swimming pool. In the future we want to Host a Deep Green Data Centre: Empower Your Community with Free Heat – we also want to install EV charging points and better bike locker facilities.”

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Programme

09.20-10.00 – Registration

10.00-10.05 – Welcome and housekeeping: Dr Maja Maricevic, Director of Science and Innovation at the British Library and Chair of the Green Libraries Campaign

10.05-10.15 – Introduction: Sue Williamson MBE, CILIP President

10.15-10.40 – Keynote: Natalie Bennett, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

10.40-10.50 – Break

10.50-11.40 – Parallels

• Strong>Showcasing Sustainable Practice (Buildings, Procurement and Community)
• Strategies to sustainability: Annika Norrvik and Caroline Gausden, Glasgow Women’s Library (Glasgow Women’s Library’s Handbook to Net Zero) with Catherine Ross, British Library (Sustainability at the British Library (BL) and the BL’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy). Chair: Kirsten MacQuarrie, CILIP Scotland,
• From the ground up: Greener procurement, collection creation and care: Jon Ray, Bodleian Libraries (sustain- able procurement) with Nicky Philpott, NHS England (Greener NHS and how librarians are supporting this work) and Martin Mullin, Senior Director, Global Sales Better World Books (BWB’s environmental pro-grammes and impact) Chair: Lisa MacLaren, SCONUL.
• Cultivating communities and a sense of place:: Andrea Ku, Artist (Creative Climate Accelerator programme at Sefton Libraries) with Louise Morgan, Bridgend College (sustainability at the College) Chair: Coral Black, CONUL

11.40-12.00 – Coffee break/Networking

12.00-13.00 – Plenary presentations followed by panel discussion: Sustainable Collections and Climate Literacy Vicky Clarke, Blackpool Libraries (Blackpool’s Eco-hub) with Laragh Quinney, National Library of Scotland (Climate Literacy for Libraries training) and Yvonne Morris, CILIP (Green Libraries self-assessment tool). Chair: Luke Burton, Arts Council England

13.00-14.00 – Lunch

14.00-14.40 – Keynote: Rachael Brown, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries, University of Portsmouth

14.40-14.50 – Break

14.50-15.40 – Parallels: Collaborating to Make a Difference

, Local and International

• Global green initiatives: Rebekkah Smith Aldrich (Sustainable Libraries Initiative in the USA; via video link) with Dr Petra Hauke (IFLA’s ENSULIB group; via video link) and Alan Carbery, Head of Academic Services at University College Cork (UCC Library Sustainability). Chair: Adam Tocock, Sustainability in NHS Libraries Community of Practice
• The power of public library partnerships: Cordelia Spalding and Rachel Palfrey, both Natural England, with Sue Wilkinson, Development Officer – Health & Wellbeing, Bradford Libraries (the Culture Nature project). Chair: Sarah Mears, Libraries Connected
• Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Dr Gobinda Chowdhury, University of Strathclyde, facilitating a session on the Sustainable Development Goals. Chair Claire Buckley, Julie’s Bicycle

15.40-16.00 – Coffee break/Networking

16.00-16.35 – Keynote: Piers Torday, Children's author and playwright, Chair of the Society of Authors Sustainability Network

16.35-16.45 – Next steps for the Green Libraries Partnership Dr Maja Maricevic: Director of Science and Innovation at the British Library and Chair of the Green Libraries Campaign

17.00 – Conference closes

Book your place.