We’ve talked a lot about the various aspects of transitioning to a green library, but it’s important to bring into focus the true purpose of a library: to educate people. A library is a place for reading, learning, interacting, growing your knowledge base and expanding your imagination. As such, it makes sense to bolster your eco-friendly efforts with eco-education. This means making your green library a place for patrons to not only participate in the eco-friendly movement, but also educate themselves on it.
Let’s examine the benefits of a green library as a source of education for the green movement.
Educational Reading Material
Libraries house seemingly endless bases of reading material. Draw on your library’s reading resources to educate patrons on environmental dangers and eco-friendly behaviors.
Personal And Professional Development
Many libraries offer free educational classes or courses. Consider providing spaces for after-school clubs or organizing programs for those who want to further their eco-education.
Community Engagement And Involvement
Libraries are typically situated in centralized town locations, giving them every opportunity to strike up partnerships with local businesses and get more involved in the community at large.
Green Activities
Some libraries host game days, outdoor activities and arts and crafts, which help tremendously in encouraging patron interaction and add just the right amount of fun for an educational institution. If your library offers any sort of program or activity, consider incorporating eco-friendly practices.
Local School Partnerships
An academic or community library is well within the realm of local schools – and likely packed with students on a regular basis. Use this audience as an opportunity for partnership, and start aligning some of their school requirements with your library programs.
Whether it’s adorned with eco-friendly wallpaper or uses air conditioning that runs on sustainable energy, a green library is still, at it’s core, a library. Incorporating eco-friendly efforts into already successful library services provides tremendous benefits and leaves a profound impact on your patrons.