Poster Session

Presentation Description:

Public libraries are uniquely positioned as catalysts for climate action.” – Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, co-founder and President of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative

In 2025, City of Moreton Bay Libraries enrolled in the award-winning Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP), piloting the US-based program from the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) for public libraries in Australia. City of Moreton Bay Libraries is the first Australian library service participating and the only SLCP public library member outside of the US and Canada.

The Initiative was launched a decade ago in New York to guide libraries, and ultimately communities, to become more environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically feasible. Although the certification program started with public libraries, there are now paths for academic and school library certification too. A representative from the Sustainable Libraries Initiative will provide a brief overview of the organisation and certification program, plus support Q&A.

Moreton Bay’s participation in the certification program was inspired by Anna’s Queensland Public Libraries Association Cheryl Houghton Scholarship project regarding sustainable collection management. This included visits to sustainably certified libraries in Suffolk County on Long Island New York and meeting with SLI co-founders and the administration team in 2024.

Anna will share insights regarding City of Moreton Bay Libraries’ experience (so far) with the Sustainable Library Certification Program framework in the Australian public library context, including:

• What were some of the easy wins?
• What is the most challenging aspect of certification?
• How are some of the action items different for Australian public libraries compared to U.S. libraries?
• Are there Australian sustainability priorities not included or considered in the SLCP?

Reflections from staff across our 10 branch libraries, mobile library service, digital and collection teams, plus internal stakeholders, will be shared to illustrate the benefits of joining this international community of practice.