Madeleine Charney, Research Services Librarian

This presentation is derived from survey responses (112) and follow up telephone interviews (24) with academic librarians in the U.S. who are instrumental in shaping sustainability on their campuses.

Based on Spring/Summer 2011 Sabbatical Project: “Academic Librarians and Sustainability in the Curriculum.” Presented at AASHE 2011. October 11, 2011. Pittsburgh, PA

Getting Closer:The Librarian, the Curriculum and the Office of Sustainability

Photo: Tim Platt, Getty Images

Goal #1: To support Librarians• Expand our professional network of “Sustainability Librarians”• Inspire creation and sharing of sustainability resources• Encourage participation on sustainability-related councils and

committees on campus• Increase discoverability by our faculty, students,

administrators • Raise our profile within the higher education sustainability

movement

Goal #2: To raise awareness about the Librarian’s role

• Promote library resources and services which support sustainability in the curriculum

• Highlight Librarians’ participation and input vis a vis sustainability-related councils, committees, events, projects

• Provide examples of partnerships between Librarians and the Office of Sustainability

Why Librarians?• Teachers of critical thinking and sound reasoning• Seasoned consolidators and distributors of information• Unique perspectives on curricular development• Involved in expansive networks of relationships across campus

Photo: Leslie Schaler

Who answered the surveyReference 22Science (including Enviro, Food Sci, Ag) 16Instruction/Information Literacy 11Social Sciences 7Faculty Librarian 7Technology/Digital/Electronic 6Director/Head 5Architecture 5Business/Economics 5Collection Development 5Associate/Assistant Director 5Subject Librarian 4Public Services/Outreach 4Humanities 3Sustainability 2Cataloging 2Math 1Assessment 1

Please specify the topics of your research guides below. Choose as many as are relevant.

Some “others”Classic Books on Sustainable Development Environmental PolicyEnvironmental ToxicologyNorth West Earth Institute Discussion Course BookletsSocially Responsible InvestingSustainability Efforts at Our InstitutionSustainability in Art EducationSustainable Art and Higher EducationSustainable Business PlansSustainable Forest Management Sustainable Houses, Homes & CommunitiesSustainable Practices for Civil & Environmental EngineersSustainable PreservationWater Issues of the Great LakesWetlands ecology

LibGuides are created by Librarianson a wide range of topics

By Mark Lenker, Greenwood Library

Longwood Universityhttp://libguides.longwood.edu/sustainability

Briefly describe any curriculum-related connections or communications that you or your Library have with the "Office of Sustainability" or their staff

• Meet regularly• Collaborate on LibGuides• Track sustainability courses• Co-facilitate sustainability book group• Co-coordinate sustainability conference• Post selected book lists on the OoS web site• Co-create for-credit sustainability internship• Administer Sustainability Faculty Fellows program• Carry out the STARS assessment (curriculum section)• Work together on sustainability curriculum committee• Select materials for discussion-based courses; materials

added to the Library collection

Barriers (aka “touchy subjects”)

• “Fiefdoms” in academia• Territorialism between faculty members/departments• Blurring lines of Liaison Librarian areas

Photo: Leslie Schaler

Is “sustainability” top down? Bottom up? Both?

Click icon to add picture

Rat Man, Bugelski and Alampay (1961)

• The Library = neutral place for meetings, programs, activities• The Institutional Repository = virtual place to showcase

information and celebrate accomplishments• Collection Development = process for collaboration,

consolidation and conservation

Photo: Leslie Schaler

Finding Common Ground

What inspires you most about this work?

• “General personal ethic - an imperative that we have to - we have no choice.” – Charles Vesei, Baldwin-Wallace College

• “The Library’s Sustainability LibGuide is #1 for hits and there is no course connected to it…It’s a real positive note because I assume in many cases that LibGuides are used “just in time” because students are doing assignments… people are just interested. We are going back to the 70’s to ‘finish the job.’” -Janet Klaessig, Delaware Valley College

• The thing that’s cool about librarians – we’re all about sharing information. We’ve been “sustainable” for years. We’re already half way there! … Librarianship and sustainability are a no brainer -- to take that and make it more conscious. I bet there are going to be a lot more ‘sustainability librarians’ in the world soon. “ –Sarah Dorsey, Univ. North Carolina Greensboro

Ready, Set, Action!

• Share resources through MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching)

• Harness the power of library associations• Embed more LibGuides into more courses• Bring the Piedmont Project to our campuses; get librarians

involved from the start (Peggy Barlett, Arri Eisen - Emory U.)

• Join the “Sustainability Librarians” LinkedIn Group (Beth Filar - UNC-Greensboro)

• Read “Sustainability Librarians,” a forthcoming chapter in Entrepreneur Librarians (Ann Less - Mary Davidge Associates, Sarah Dorsey, Beth Filar – UNC-Greensboro)

• Keep connections alive and make new ones! Image:

www.flickr.com/photos/library_mistress/

“Librarians are evolving along with their work…”-Mark Lanker, Longwood University

Image: http://claire-legrand.com

Madeleine Charney• MLIS, University of Rhode Island (1991)• MALD, Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design, Conway

School of Landscape Design (2003)

Contact: Research & Liaison ServicesW.E.B. Du Bois LibraryUniversity of Massachusetts Amherstmcharney@library.umass.edu 413-577-0784Web site: http://works.bepress.com/charney_madeleine/