Green Libraries Resources

Climate FAQs: Climate terms can be confusing, there's lots of new terminology to decipher. Our partner, Julie's Bicycle has provided these FAQs to help you get to grips with it all.

Deciphering Green Gibberish: Unpack environmental jargon and broad-descriptors with this helpful guide from Julie's Bicycle.

Practical tools and support on how to take climate action now: Julie's Bicycle, an environmental not-for-profit organisation provides resources on climate action for the arts and cultural sector.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme: The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures. 25 public libraries and the British Library have already obtained funds via this scheme to improve their library buildings. In September 2024, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed the continuation of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Embedded Artist Projects Toolkit: Cultural Adaptation's Embedded Artist Projects for Adaptation toolkit, funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and co-funded by the Scottish Government, focuses on climate change adaptation for creative practitioners, cultural organisations and adaptation organisations.

CILIP Scotland: CILIPSGoGreen: CILIP Scotland's campaign 'CILIPSGoGreen' provides environmental resources to increase environmental awareness on climate change and adaptation in the library sector and to support library professionals in their sustainability targets.

Local Government Association: Climate Change Hub: Local Government Association is working with various councils to supply a wide range of support to help councils address climate change and environmental sustainability.

Great Big Green Week: The Great Big Green Week is the UK's biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. Add your library events here to create more awareness and develop your community.

Great Big Green Week: A-Z list of ideas: An event organiser's guide, prepared in 2022, with tips on planning, promotional ideas and many more.

Climate, Conflict, and Community: The role of libraries in a world on fire: Watch this provocative and inspiring keynote from cultural strategist and digital pioneer Michael Peter Edson, drawing from 25 years of work in the library and museum sector to argue that an updated concept of librarianship is needed if we are to answer today's most important questions about culture, society, and change.

IFLA: What is a Green Library?: Read more on what makes a 'Green Library' and what a sustainability agenda should include, by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

Greener Libraries - The Bookseller, September 2022: Public services have an important role to play in tackling climate change, and libraries have the potential to make a real difference. Read more of this piece on page 10, by The Green Libraries Partnership chair 2022-2023, Emma Noyce.

Libraries UK Freecycle Group: In 2017, Nick Poole, former CEO of CILIP, started up a Libraries UK Freecycle Group. The idea is that any library can offer library equipment or furniture – display material, scanners, consumables, anything used in your library – for others to collect for free, or browse to see if there is something you can pick up for your own library. Unlike most Freecycle groups which are based regionally, the LibraryUK group is national. But the principles are the same. All goods must be offered for free.

Sign up for FreeCycle as an individual or an organisation and then search for the "town" LibraryUK.

Publishers' sustainability positions and supplier questionnaire

The Sustainable Suppliers Form and Spreadsheet: A small group of organisations - including our Green Libraries Campaign partners Arts Council England and Julie’s Bicycle - has been brought together by Royal Ballet and Opera and supported by Theatre Green Book, to create a form that can be used by the cultural sector to gather sustainability information about suppliers. Once the supplier has submitted the form it feeds into a public spreadsheet so anyone who has the link can see all responses.

Publishing industry position and resources: The publicly stated climate commitments of nine of the top publishers, compiled by Jon Ray, Gardens, Libraries & Museums at the University of Oxford. This resource also lists global standards and pledges as well as industry groups and UN materials.

Environmental Sustainability questionnaire: A free resource to help organisations understand the carbon net zero positions of their suppliers. The questionnaire can be supplied as a Microsoft Form - please contact Jon Ray

Tools & Resources from other sectors

Book Industry Communication Green Hub: A resource for the book industry for a greener supply chain with information on how to be greener and showcase what BIC is doing to help organisations achieve that.

The Carbon Literacy Project and toolkit for Museums: The Carbon Literacy for Museums Toolkit is a powerful resource for a museum's climate action journey – empowering staff and offering them the skills and confidence needed to take impactful action within their museum.

Roots and Branches: Roots & Branches is a collaborative programme with The Carbon Literacy Project, Museum Development England and Manchester Museum, funded by National Lottery through Arts Council England, and focuses on training museum professional in carbon literacy.

Free Guide: Becoming More Environmentally Sustainable: Community Leisure UK has developed a resource with Sport England's Club Matters, and the British Association for Sustainability in Sport (BASIS). There are hints and tips to help organisations work out how they can become more environmentally sustainable, and what they can do to take action.

University of Oxford: The Queen's College - Climate and Sustainability: The university has many researchers who are tackling global issues of climate change and sustainability to help be a part of the solution. Read more on their Green Impact key areas including other sustainability work.

Arts Council England: Environmental Sustainability Report 2021/2022: Read the latest report from Arts Council England (ACE) which represents National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) environmental data & narratives for April 2021-March 2022.

Initiatives and Case Studies from UK Libraries

Calderdale Libraries' Something in the Air? Project: A community engagement project in 2021, engaging the public in and around Sowerby Bridge (West Yorkshire) with research and experimentation around issues of air quality and health.

National Library of Scotland with CILIP Scotland: An interview with the National Library of Scotland where they reveal how their extensive Map Collection can be used to research the reality of climate change. They share their insights into what libraries can do to promote sustainability in Scotland and elsewhere.

Orkney Library & Archive with CILIP Scotland: A blog post where Orkney Library & Archive share their insights into the acquisition of an electric vehicle for their home library service. They share their top tips for libraries across Scotland who are looking to invest in their green future.

Wakefield Library's WordFest 2021: Watch Wakefield Library's WordFest highlights from 2021 on YouTube, centering around climate change.

Local Government Association - Pass the Planet: Showcasing local climate action on the COP26 goals - November 2021 presentations.

Jisc report: Exploring digital carbon footprints: How can the education sector shape it's sustainable future? Read more on the report that focuses on four key areas: procurement, on-premises IT, cloud technologies & remote working.

The Arts Green Book: Sustainable Buildings is now available for all cultural organisations via their website. Free to download, the book shows how to make your building as sustainable as possible, with a survey tool that starts with simple questions about your buildings, uses the answers to identify the easy wins, and helps you plan more major works, sorting each to achieve maximum impact with limited resources. The Theatre Green Book has already transformed the theatre sector. Arts Council England and the Greater London Authority have funded this new volume to support cultural buildings of all sorts, from concert halls to museums, galleries to cinemas, workshops, libraries and gig venues.