[SLI-Newsletter] Congratulations, Hauppauge Public Library!

[sliadmin at suffolknet.org]

For Immediate Release

January 19, 2022

 

Hauppauge Public Library is Certified Sustainable

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative recognizes the Hauppauge Public Library
as a leader in sustainability.

 

 

            Suffolk County, New York - January 19, 2022 - Hauppauge Public
Library <https://hauppaugelibrary.org/>  in Hauppauge, New York, has been
certified as a "Sustainable Library" through the
<https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/> Sustainable Libraries
Initiative's award-winning Sustainable Libraries Certification Program. This
ground-breaking initiative guides libraries through a step-by-step process
to infuse
<https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/media/glossary#page=4> triple
bottom line sustainable decision-making into their library's policies and
actions.

            Hauppauge Public Library CEO, Matthew Bollerman, has been a
vocal advocate for libraries to think and act sustainably since 2009. He is
a cofounder of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and currently serves as
the Vice President of their Advisory Board and as a member of the American
Library Association's Council Committee on Sustainability. In completing
this certification, the Hauppauge Public Library exemplifies what
sustainable decision making can look like and serves as a model for other
libraries and community organizations in their region and beyond. Bollerman
states that this certification process, "has allowed our staff who makes
decisions, which is all staff, to share a framework, vocabulary and
understanding of how those choices reverberate in our world."

            The Sustainable Libraries Certification Program compels
libraries to consider the tenets of environmental sustainability, social
equity, and fiscal responsibility in the actions and practices of their
institution. Hauppauge Public Library demonstrated through the Sustainable
Libraries Certification Program that advancing these causes could be
effectively embedded into their operations. Through their actions, 2,276
pounds of materials were collected from the community and recycled or
redistributed to organizations in need in 2020. The library's space,
redesigned in 2018, includes flexible, multipurpose areas, natural and LED
lighting, and energy efficient electronics and appliances.

            Over the last several years, Hauppauge Public Library held
conversations with community members to investigate what aspirations were
held by the people living and working in their service area. Several of the
identified needs led to new and innovative services by the library.
Responding to a need for sharing local information and resources, Hauppauge
Public Library created "The Buzz" (https://buzz.hauppaugelibrary.org/). This
website, hosted by the library contains news, events and information
tailored to their library's community. Events organized by the library have
brought local businesses, community organizations, and the public together,
positioning the library as a central connecting agency in their area. They
continue to strive toward meeting other identified needs, such as finding
more ways to bring businesses together to help give Hauppauge residents a
needed sense of place.

International Impact

            Hauppauge Public Library is among the first libraries to
participate in the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program, the first of
its kind in the world. This benchmarking program was developed to assist
libraries of all kinds - public, academic, and individual school librarians
- to create opportunities to make better choices on behalf of the local and
global community.            

The program has been recognized by the International Federation of Library
Associations at their 2019 World Congress in Athens, Greece, becoming the
first program in the United States to be honored through their "Green
Libraries" Award.

Comprehensive Approach       

            With categories of actions focusing on each of the three pillars
of triple bottom line sustainability such as Energy, Indoor Spaces, Social
Cohesion, and Resilience Planning, this comprehensive process leads a
library toward institutional change that shifts the rationale for every
decision to consider the local and global impacts. Through this program,
libraries work with their communities to listen and learn, allowing local
needs to be identified and addressed. Strengthening the relationship between
the library and the community they serve builds resilience through stronger
connections with many organizations and increased access to information. 

The path to certification through the Sustainable Libraries Certification
Program is designed to be flexible for libraries of different types, sizes,
and budgets and guided by the communities they serve. Each library that
completes the program will select the benchmarks that best fit the needs of
their library and community, resulting in a uniquely sustainable
organization. Find out more information through our website (
<https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org>
https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org) or contact
sliadmin at suffolknet.org <mailto:sliadmin at suffolknet.org> .

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative is expanding to enroll libraries
throughout the United States, with nearly fifty libraries currently enrolled
in the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program. Hauppauge Public Library
is the tenth library to be certified through this program and one of seven
Certified Sustainable Public Libraries in Suffolk County, New York.

 

For more information, see the Sustainable Libraries Initiative website,
<https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/news/congratulations-hauppauge-p
ublic-library> 'Congratulations, Hauppauge Public Library' page or contact:

 

Annemarie Gordon, Sustainability Coordinator

 <https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/> Sustainable Libraries
Initiative

 <https://portal.suffolklibrarysystem.org/node/32703> Suffolk Cooperative
Library System

631-286-1600 x1355

 <mailto:sliadmin at suffolknet.org> mailto:sliadmin at suffolknet.org

 

 

 

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