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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/media/document/156"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=163 height=211 style='width:1.7in;height:2.2in' id="Picture_x0020_8" src="cid:image015.png@01D81743.5B57D480"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Sustainable Libraries Initiative <a href="https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/media/document/156">February 2022 Newsletter</a> is now available by clicking the link or thumbnail image, downloading the pdf attachment, or by reading the full text below.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Breaking News:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=jsgrdq><span style='color:#303030'>The <a href="https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/">Sustainable Libraries Initiative</a> is now enrolling libraries nationwide! We are ready to expand outside of New York State and broaden our community of practice across the US. </span></span><a href="http://suffolknet.org" target="_blank"><span style='color:#303030'>Contact us</span></a><span class=jsgrdq><span style='color:#303030'> for more details about signing up for membership or certification.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Congratulations, Hauppauge Public Library<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img border=0 width=320 height=157 style='width:3.3333in;height:1.6333in' id="Picture_x0020_7" src="cid:image016.jpg@01D81743.5B57D480"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This month we are celebrating the certification of our tenth public library, <a href="https://hauppaugelibrary.org/">Hauppauge Public Library</a> in Hauppauge, New York! Hauppauge is part of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. They satisfied their environmental benchmark categories through the Green Business Partnership (GBP) certification program in January 2019. Hauppauge Public Library's GBP Certification serves as an excellent example of how a library can work within the constraints of operating in a leased space. The library was able to advocate for energy saving features such as LED lighting with the owner of the building when the space was renovated for their use. They designed the layout of their space to maximize the use of natural light and chose furnishings that could serve multiple purposes and be reconfigured to adapt to emerging needs. A Smart Board installed on a cart allows for one piece of equipment to be used in many different areas of the library. This saves money by reducing the number of big-ticket items purchased, saves production resources by allowing the use of one item in many different ways, eliminates the need for paper, pens, and markers, and saves space by only having the smart board in a programming room only when it is needed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img border=0 width=253 height=190 style='width:2.6333in;height:1.9833in' id="Picture_x0020_6" src="cid:image017.jpg@01D81743.5B57D480"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Many other efforts were smaller in scale and budget, yet still added up to a considerable environmental benefit. Programmable thermostats were installed, <a href="https://www.energystar.gov/">Energy Star</a> rated electronics were purchased, and popular titles are rented from vendors, rather than purchased. This allows Hauppauge to meet the demand for new titles, while building in the ability to send them back to the vendor as soon as demand wanes. The staff have access to reusable cups, dishes, and utensils in addition to a dishwasher. The library also has two water bottle filling stations. These are a great service to the public and offer passive reinforcement of the environmental benefit of reducing plastic water bottle consumption.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hauppauge Public Library sought to engage their staff and the community in their recycling efforts. In the staff break room, they designated a space for free-cycling. Any staff member can bring in items and give and take from this space. For their guests, they have accessible bins for hard to recycle items such as batteries, phones, and other small electronics. They also collect donations to be shared with other community organizations for distribution. Food, get well cards, clothing, eyeglasses, and Legos were collected and shared with other charities. In 2020 Hauppauge Public Library collected 2,276 pounds of materials to be recycled or redistributed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img border=0 width=307 height=162 style='width:3.2in;height:1.6833in' id="Picture_x0020_5" src="cid:image018.jpg@01D81743.5B57D480"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When addressing the social equity and community resilience categories of the SLCP, Hauppauge Public Library were motivated by the findings of community conversations held over the past few years. The flexibility of the SLCP encourages each library’s efforts to be unique to the community that they serve. In the community surrounding the library, one of their most commonly heard concerns was that there was a need for creating a sense of place in the community. The town of Hauppauge does not have a main street or central business district, which can make it difficult for small businesses located in the area to communicate, share resources, and collaborate on marketing efforts. Residents also expressed that they are lacking a source for local news and events. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>To begin addressing these needs, Hauppauge Public Library has been working to find ways to bring local businesses and community members together. In October 2020, when businesses began to reopen after the COVID shutdowns, there were no central ways to communicate what establishments had reopened. The library developed a fun way to get the word out while encouraging residents to patronize these businesses. They set up a “Ghost Hunt,” which was a scavenger hunt with clues to lead them to these area shops. This engaging and innovative library program helped to get residents involved in the shared purpose of supporting their local economy. The library distributed large paper ghosts for participating businesses to display in their windows. They then wrote clues for the library patrons to guess where to find the ghosts.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This activity helped residents get to know the businesses that had reopened and encouraged them to support their local economy. The benefits extended to the library, when residents would see the ghosts displayed in shop windows and find out about the library program, drawing new guests in. Additionally, those businesses that participated were able to announce their re-opening to the community in a fun and novel way. Completed scavenger hunts could be turned into the library for a prize. An activity such as this one shows an effective way for a library to foster a sense of community, encourages residents to explore the local small businesses in their area, and to consider how they, and the library, are all connected. Reaching out to businesses in this way establishes the library as a resource not just for individual and personal interests, but for businesses and, more broadly, for the whole community.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Building on the success of this program, Hauppauge Public Library held a Trunk-or-Treat event scheduled near Halloween. They encouraged local businesses to participate by decorating a vehicle, offering games for children, and giving away treats. Many members of the community turned out, making this a great opportunity to give these businesses the exposure they need to prosper. An unexpected benefit was that the business owners relished the opportunity to gather together and meet each other. The Hauppauge community was once again reminded that their library is ready to be that central gathering space and business hub that their community needs. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://buzz.hauppaugelibrary.org/"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=227 height=55 style='width:2.3666in;height:.575in' id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image019.png@01D81743.5B57D480"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Another creative way that Hauppauge was able to meet the needs of their community was to create a web page to communicate local news and events to their community. This need was discovered during the earlier community conversations. When no suitable resource could be found to meet this need, the library created and hosted their own. The page, called “<a href="https://buzz.hauppaugelibrary.org/">The Buzz</a>,” highlights local news stories and events in the community.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hauppauge Public Library’s commitment to let their efforts be community driven shows that they are willing to shift their focus in whatever ways are needed to help their community thrive. Outreach efforts such as these expand what a community views as library services, it broadens the reach of those services and brings new people in to realize that the library is willing and able to provide for our communities to ensure that they will continue to thrive. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Member news:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=jsgrdq><span style='color:#303030'>Welcome, </span></span><a href="https://www.northcastlelibrary.org" target="_blank"><span style='color:#303030'>North Castle Public Library</span></a><span class=jsgrdq><span style='color:#303030'>! Located in Armonk, NY, NCPL will be participating in our public library certification program. Additionally, we welcome the 56 libraries of the <a href="https://portal.suffolklibrarysystem.org/">Suffolk Cooperative Library System</a> who are now members of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.northcastlelibrary.org/"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=122 height=74 style='width:1.2666in;height:.775in' id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image020.jpg@01D81743.5B57D480"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://portal.suffolklibrarysystem.org/"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=191 height=57 style='width:1.9916in;height:.5916in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image021.jpg@01D81743.5B57D480"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Upcoming Events<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/events/online-meet-19-slcp-participants">SLCP Online Meetup</a>: </b>Thursday, February 3<sup>rd</sup>, 11am EST<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org/events/school-librarian-certification-meet-1">School Librarian Certification Meetup</a>:</b> Thursday, February 10<sup>th</sup>, 3:30pm EST<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="https://elearning.ala.org/local/catalog/view/product.php?productid=153">ALA Core Webinar</a>:</b> Sustainable Thinking Builds Strong Libraries and Resilient Communities: Tuesday, March 15<sup>th</sup>, 2pm EST<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Call for Items:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=jsgrdq><span style='color:#303030'>Have you created a library policy or program with Sustainability in mind? Share your ideas with our community! Contact </span></span><a href="mailto:sliadmin@suffolknet.org" target="_blank"><span style='color:#303030'>sliadmin@suffolknet.org</span></a><span class=jsgrdq><span style='color:#303030'> to be featured in our newsletter or on the </span></span><a href="http://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org" target="_blank"><span style='color:#303030'>SLI Website</span></a><span class=jsgrdq><span style='color:#303030'>.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Follow us on Social Media:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Facebook Group:<span style='font-size:12.0pt'> Sustainable Libraries Initiative</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Instagram:<span style='font-size:12.0pt'> @sustainablelibrariesinitiative</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Twitter:<span style='font-size:12.0pt'> @sustainablelib2</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoTableGrid border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 style='border-collapse:collapse;border:none'><tr style='height:148.5pt'><td width=312 valign=top style='width:233.75pt;border:none;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:148.5pt'><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></td><td width=312 valign=top style='width:233.75pt;border:none;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:148.5pt'><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>