Olive Free Library joins the Sustainable Library Certification Program
West Shokan, NY – August 14, 2024 – Olive Free Library located in West Shokan in the Town of Olive, NY, has made a commitment to sustainability by joining the Sustainable Libraries Initiative’s award-winning Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP)!
The Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to empower library leaders in advancing environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically feasible practices to intentionally address climate change and co-create thriving communities. The SLI’s Sustainable Library Certification Program is designed to provide public libraries, academic libraries, library systems, and school librarians with exclusive resources and step-by-step guidelines to shift towards a cleaner, greener, and more equitable future. Collective action is imperative in generating positive change. By building a strong and widespread community of practice, the SLI hopes to gather a diverse team of like-minded individuals dedicated to making better decisions for our shared planet.
Olive Free Library was inspired to join the program after seeing all the great work other libraries who had joined the initiative were doing. Melissa McHugh, the director of the Olive Free Library said, “Other libraries’ efforts helped us to imagine what we were already doing in a whole new light. I had conversations with patrons, the Board, and staff to assess their interest in this endeavor. I feel that although we’re already doing so much to address sustainability issues at the library, this program helps us focus and develop a plan to execute it.”
The Olive Free Library Board of Trustees agreed to be a part of the program at their March 2024 meeting. There had been interest from patrons and staff for the library to become more sustainable. Involvement in the SLCP is a part of a larger plan for sustainability, including repurposing the library’s garage space and replacing outdated lighting in the main part of the library.
McHugh adds: “Sustainability is something that should be important to everyone! We don’t live in isolation, and it’s only in working together as a community that we can create a better, more sustainable world.”
Rather than requiring difficult, expensive, or immediate changes to a library’s infrastructure and daily functioning, the SLCP takes a unique approach to sustainability by ensuring that the most important changes stem from a library’s long-term philosophy, decision-making abilities, and goal-setting strategies. The program guides participants into a mindset shift, encourages the commitment of making informed choices for the future, and builds the understanding behind each step that makes each positive change a conscious one instead of becoming a mindless routine.
The Olive Free Library has already replaced their windows and doors with more energy-efficient options, and are currently in the process of changing their landscaping to be more native plant- and pollinator-friendly. They have installed motion sensors for lights so that they go off automatically when not in use; recently renovated bathrooms; and added a ramp to the front entrance to comply with the Amercians with Disabilities Act. In addition, the library hopes to repurpose garage space into additional program space and replace outdated lighting in the main part of the library.
Library patrons can join the Sustainability Committee, help support individual projects, and learn more about what the library is doing through social media, the Olive Free Library website, and the library’s twice-monthly email newsletter.
By joining over 100 other libraries across the U.S. and Canada on the journey to certification, Olive Free Library is becoming a leader in sustainable practices that will create a true lasting impact on their community and contribute to the essential widespread movement towards a healthier planet.
“Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).”