Introduction

The markings of a planet affected by climate change exist everywhere we look. Although we are slowly coming to terms with the fact that our way of life needs to change to protect and preserve us and the multitudes of species we are connected to, change is not occurring quickly or consistently enough to protect future generations. Since the Paris Agreement of 2015, there has been motion amongst participating countries to meet the emission-reduction pledges set to help with curbing planetary warming to 1.5°C; these international efforts are falling short and climate change is a crisis we all need to face with increasing urgency (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 2022; IPCC-a, 2022). As the signs and effects of climate change begin to disrupt the everyday lives of more and more people around the world, public libraries are located in a critical position of potential to be educational leaders in their communities. Climate change impacts all members of society, regardless of age and it is of critical importance for libraries to make a greater effort to include children in discussions surrounding climate change as several recent studies bring to light the increasing eco-anxiety children are experiencing about the perilous future of the planet (Martin et al, 2021; Hickman, 2020).Libraries need to take initiative to implement collections and utilise resources that provide accurate, accessible, and up-to-date information that does not alienate people and offers useful methods about how people can incorporate greener practices into their everyday lives.While libraries occupy a unique position in connecting the general public with climate change resources, this role does not come without challenges. Library collections must remain accessible and comprehensible while battling climate change denial, provide curated resources to help deal with eco-anxiety, support environmental literacy, engage in sustainable collection development practices, and do it all on a tight budget.

In this chapter, we will take an exploratory look at how public libraries can be active members of their communities and promote conversations about climate change with the specific actions of their collection development. As the effects of climate change have more significant impacts on our communities and information about the nature of climate change becomes more complex, libraries will become an even more important access point for people to freely acquire the information they need. We will examine several challenges that impede climate change conversation and engagement in our communities and society at large, and how these challenges relate to public libraries and their collections. Two case studies of Canadian public libraries will illustrate different scenarios of the public space and how climate change collection development was approached within it. To conclude, we will draw on current literature to propose a variety of suggestions and use examples as a guide for libraries navigating these challenges.

Background and Current Content Realities of Climate Change                

The constant and consistent flow of warnings about the seriousness of climate change is nothing new. A study begun in 1972 that follows the projections of a computer model predicting the effects of climate change on the world, estimated that if the current state of the world continues, there will be a “catastrophic population collapse in the middle of the 21st century” (Henk, 2014, p. 18). Efforts are constantly being made to instill a greater sense of our impending extinction, but despite the available research, the rate of change remains low. In 1988, the United Nations assembled the working group, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose experts are responsible for determining the scientific measures of climate change (2022-a). Their most recent report, published in February 2022, presents high-confidence estimates and projections of what is to be expected if measures aren’t taken to prevent the current progression of climate change. According to the most recent report, the impacts and risks to our planet  include unpredictable and rapidly changing weather patterns, severe effects on mortality of plant and animal species, threats to food production security, adverse health effects for populations in cities and even more severe impacts on Indigenous peoples through their close connection to the environment (IPCC, 2022-b). The summary reports can be read as quite overwhelming and bleak. Still, the important takeaway message is that these estimates are current estimates as determined by the effectiveness of our present adaptation and mitigation strategies and action plans; there is so much room for action and improvement.

Climate Change and Library Collections

Library collections are carefully curated by information professionals to provide well-rounded informative resources to the community. Climate change is a universal problem for us all to confront. The nature of climate change research is that this complex and multi-disciplinary topic is constantly being updated with new findings and contributions to scholarly knowledge. Libraries play an integral role in balancing the often overtly academic literature that results from these studies by presenting their communities with materials that can be consumed by the general public of broad age ranges, educational backgrounds and social demographic categories. The training and job experience of public librarians places them perfectly in a position of encouraging reading and literacy, skills that can be easily applied to include a focus on supporting environmental literacy (Miller, 2010).

As for scholarly work regarding libraries, though there is work that has been published about green libraries and green collections, as of the present day there are currently no more sources being published about this topic than there were 30 years ago (Fedorowicz-Kruszewska, 2022). Publication about green libraries “is irregular and not of an exponential or linear nature” (Fedorowicz-Kruszewska, 2022, p. 916), which is concerning given the increasing anxiety surrounding climate change. Libraries need to conduct further research in order to understand ways they can adapt their library spaces and collections to facilitate conversations about climate change and there needs to be an increased effort in finding appropriate climate change title selections for collections. Due to climate change being a complex and ever-expanding topic, selection for materials is not as simple as choosing the most recently published titles. The community the library is serving needs to be considered, as well as the source of the materials, and consultations with organizations involved in environmental work would be of great value in creating title lists. In a WorldCat search conducted for a 2016 study by Hartman, it was found that 8, 871 newly released books were catalogued with “the subject terms ‘climatic change’ or ‘global warming'”(p. 1). These numbers could be quite daunting when one is tasked with the job of updating a collection to include the most relevant resources on this topic which is why including climate change as a priority factor in a library’s collection policy is necessary. The collection development process involves several stages, all of which have to be carefully addressed when looking at climate change materials. Collections must also acknowledge the barriers that exist in getting people to engage with climate change in a sustainable way, some of the most difficult factors to overcome being climate change denial and the resulting climate change denial materials.

Challenges

There are multiple barriers to overcome in the fight against climate change, not all of which are changes to emissions outputs and general pollution. There is a mentality shift that needs to occur if there is any hope of saving the planet, and this shift begins with education, increased awareness, and active engagement which public libraries have the opportunity to promote. These initiatives, however, are difficult to accomplish when there are many, internal and external, challenges faced by libraries and their collections.

Climate Change Denial Materials

Despite signs of a collapsing planet everywhere we look, nearly a third of Canadians do not believe that climate change is caused by human or industrial activity (Zimonjic, 2018). In a time where acceptance of our reality is needed more than ever, this stubborn denial poses a challenge to libraries. Collectively, we encounter a major challenge in providing a comprehensive collection of climate change resources to the public when we look at the issues posed by the presence of climate change denial (CCD) materials in collections. On the one hand, if our libraries are to abide by the Statement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries of the Canadian Federation of  Library Associations (CFLA) then they should aim to have well-balanced collections which supply information from both sides of the climate change discussion and thus support the “access to the full range of knowledge, imagination, ideas, and opinion” that all persons in Canada are promised (CFLA, 2019, para. 3). On the other hand, these materials can be harmful as they are often full of misrepresentative pseudo-scientific information on this topic. An important consideration in this conversation is that having a less formal education is one of the common factors in developing climate change scepticism (Mayer et al., 2022), which means libraries could become an educational halfway point between scepticism and acceptance. Libraries need to perform a thorough assessment of materials regarding climate change. If a source is denying climate change and it is being added to the collection to show both sides of the argument, it could be beneficial to include an insert in the resource that alerts a patron to the factual incorrectness of the resource.

In the 2013 Dunlap and Jacques study, a thorough assessment of 108 climate change denial books released up to 2010 identifies an important connection between conservative think tanks and CCD materials. The study notes that authors of CCD materials, despite often having a high media presence and many publications, rarely have their books vetted through the peer-review process, the study estimates claim 90% of CCD books do not follow the peer review process (Dunlap & Jacques, 2013). Peer review, while not a perfect process, is a critical component of academic scholarship as it allows experts of the shared discipline to weigh in with their informed opinions before publication occurs. If this step is omitted then the validity of the research content and its claims is made questionable.

The challenge posed by CCD is further complicated when we look at the concept of ‘prior restraint’. In legal terms, it is defined as a “ban or restriction on speech or writing prior to its actual expression,” and can therefore be perceived as an act of censorship on the part of any organization practising it (“Prior restraint”, n.d., para. 11). Not including CCD materials in collections in the first place, even if it is done to practise ‘social responsibility,’ could then be read as an act of censorship. If libraries are to support the ideals of intellectual freedom and accessibility, where is the line when it comes to CCD materials? Perhaps every individual library needs to decide for themselves which materials shouldn’t be included in a collection and ideally, this process involves intense considerations of and input from the communities whom these collections are ultimately serving. Libraries must establish for themselves where they stand on this issue, what actions align best with their prioritised institutional values and ensure that their collection development policies clearly reflect that stance.

Eco-Anxiety and the Need for Environmental Literacy

On the other side of the scale from climate change denial, a topic that has arisen with growing urgency over the past decade is the concept of “eco-anxiety”. There are various definitions for eco-anxiety, but in general terms, it is “anxiety about the ecological disasters and threats to the environment such as pollution and climate change” (Goldman, 2022, p. 18) or, more succinctly, having a persistent fear of environmental doom (Clayton et al., 2017 as cited in Hickman, 2020). There are many ways that eco-anxiety can manifest and affect how someone interacts with climate change, but the most common responses are either avoiding the subject, feeling frozen, depressed, and hopeless about the situation, or moving to action (Goldman, 2022). Libraries have the opportunity to be the bridge between difficult, data-heavy information and information that allows people to feel moved to action without frightening them into a state of passiveness. Being a facilitator for these conversations is also incredibly important when it comes to children and young adults because it is a common sentiment among these age groups that they do not know how to have those discussions and often they feel their concerns are belittled or dismissed by adults (Hickman, 2020). There can even sometimes be a sense of anger in children and young adults that they are the “future victims” (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, 2022, para. 23) as the ones left to contend with the state of the planet and must find solutions to the issues they did not create (Hickman, 2020). The challenge that rising eco-anxiety presents fortoday’s generation of children and youth all the more highlights the necessity for libraries to actively facilitate conversations about climate change and to aid in the nurturing of environmental literacy skills.

Once you’re able to successfully engage people with the topic of climate change, how do you know that they’re understanding the information or putting it into practice? An area of collections that is equally as important as having materials that combat eco-anxiety is having materials that promote what many scholars have termed environmental literacy, green literacy, or climate change literacy (Aytac, 2022; Henk, 2014; Miller, 2010). Climate change literacy is the ability to “find, understand, and use information and services to make decisions about the environment” (Aytac, 2022, p. 2). As our world continues to change and eco-anxiety continues to rise it will be necessary for the public to interact with, understand complex environmental issues and evaluate the best ways to move forward and protect the planet (Miller, 2010). Having a collection that promotes climate change literacy encourages people to learn how to properly evaluate their sources to be active and productive members of society in combating climate change (Aytac, 2022). This is a significant undertaking for libraries, but “by embracing their role as an educator for the community, libraries can also play a part in transitioning their communities to more positive societal outcomes” (Antonelli, 2012, p. 242).

While promoting environmental literacy is a common recommendation made in the academic literature that discusses green practices in libraries, it is rare to come across a source that explains how this can be implemented in collections and which types of resources are best. Patricia Hartman’s review of recently released climate change books of 2016, stands out in our literature search as the only source that identifies the challenges that this poses for librarians not only due to the vast amounts of literature on the subject but the breadth of scope as well (Hartman, 2016). The review highlights that there is a need for annotated bibliographies that support librarians when sourcing climate change materials. Hartman’s article was written in 2016, which at this point is slightly outdated. Conducting a casual online search was more likely to yield useful results from blog and book review websites; thus, collections librarians should be open to different methods of gathering resource titles, provided proper vetting practices are still in place until there are more academic efforts in this area. Our literature search was by no means exhaustive, but the lack of results is an indicator that libraries and collections have more work to do in making selections of curated and relevant titles. New climate change materials are being consistently published and updated at a rapid pace, librarians need to ensure that their collections are kept up to date as much as possible (Hartman, 2016). It is crucial for library collections to consistently re-engage with and re-evaluate climate change materials and resources for their validity and relevance.

Collection Practices and Operational Challenges

If libraries are going to advocate for the fight against climate change, or at least encourage awareness of this topic, then one area to consider is how their collections represent their commitment to sustainable practices. Materials that help create conversations about climate change are important, but other collection-related factors should also be considered such as paper type, green materials, collection waste, delivery and packaging methods, and online resource carbon footprints. A sustainable collection is about more than choosing more eco-friendly suppliers and methods of acquisition. Sustainability is “the notion that those currently living have an obligation to themselves and to future people to ensure everyone has equal opportunities in life” (Henk, 2014, p. 15). When developing a collection that reflects a sustainability mindset, collection managers need to look beyond the green stamp approving something as good for the environment. Sales tactics such as the upselling of green products, or ‘greenwashing’, where vendors attempt to capitalize on the need for more environmentally friendly products, are popular methods among vendors that aren’t necessarily sustainable so it is important to evaluate them carefully (Henk, 2014). When vendors come in, regardless of what they are selling, specific questions about sustainable practices should be asked, even for online resources. A librarian at the DePauw University Library in Indiana once asked a vendor what the carbon footprint of the vendor’s servers would be should the library buy the collection of ebooks they were proposing and the vendor did not have an answer for them (Henk, 2014). Unsurprisingly, the librarian did not select this ebook collection. Difficult and uncomfortable questions need to be asked sometimes and creating collection policies that ask questions about the sustainability of a resource, whether physical or digital, is a good way to increase focus on environmental issues and lead by example.

Having the option to dedicate funds to more sustainable materials and practices, however, is not easy when “funding is under threat for libraries in communities of all sizes” (American Library Association, n.d., para. 1). It is interesting to note that even when funding is available for climate change collection upgrades and initiatives, libraries do not always choose to participate in this endeavour and the following case study is a prime example.

Halifax Public Library Case Study

In 2007, a report came out that outlined the projected effects of climate change on the coastal province of Nova Scotia. Because the reports predict higher sea levels, extreme and increased rainfalls, and more frequent storms, the populations of Nova Scotia which reside primarily on the coastlines are all at an increased risk of the impacts of climate change (Government of Canada, 2007). Hurricane Fiona, which was the most expensive extreme weather event to affect the East Coast, is a prime example of these kinds of impacts and caused nearly 385 million dollars in damages (Canadian Press, 2022). Weather events such as Hurricane Fiona will most certainly occur again in the future and libraries are uniquely positioned to be informers on the subject. The Halifax Public Library (HPL) is ranked among the top 10 largest library systems in Canada with in-person visits sitting around 3,605,552 per year (Canadian Urban Libraries Council, 2019). These statistics were taken pre-pandemic from 2019, and although they may have changed post Covid-19, the fact remains that HPL is a well-used library system. The HPL system comprises 14 branches and their catalogue contains a fair number of sources about climate change. The HPL system has a total of 333 items in its catalogue that are connected to the keyword “climate change.” This number includes 297 physical books, 30 eBooks, 25 DVDs, four large print books, one graphic novel, three audiobooks, two CDs, and one unknown resource. HPL also created a section on its website called “Climate Action” which can be used as a resource for finding web pages, blogs, and events that promote climate education (HPL, n.d.-b). There you can find curated and recommended lists of titles for further reading about environmental awareness and climate change. The information about how often books about climate change are assessed for their current relevance, or how often weeding occurs is not available, but upon looking at the published dates for the resources about climate change, the vast majority were published in the years since 2010 (HPL, n.d.-a). HPL has more climate change resources than many other major library systems in Canada, and yet even a library that is moderately engaged with the subject of climate change was not willing to go the distance when further possibilities were presented to them.

In 2019, a project was pitched to the Halifax Public Library by a committee of four people who proposed a Climate Change Centre be built in the Halifax Central Library, the newest and largest library in the system, to house a climate change-specific collection. They imagined the centre as an easily located and accessible resource centre where patrons could find information about climate change, participate in activities, and ask a designated staff member any questions about the material (Gamberg et al., 2019). We were able to contact one of the people who proposed the Climate Change Centre to the Halifax Public Libraries Board and gain some insight into the details of the project. Initially, after a presentation to the Environment and Sustainability Standing Committee in Halifax, although there was genuine interest and much discussion about the proposed Climate Change Centre, the point was made that although City Council makes decisions regarding budgetary allowance, the library is responsible for deciding how funds are allocated. With that in mind, the council voted not to pursue the matter further. It was suggested to the committee that they contact the CEO and Chief Librarian of HPL instead (R. Gamberg, personal communication, October 28, 2022). One of the Councillors offered his entire discretionary fund for the year if the proposal was accepted (R. Gamberg, personal communication, October 29, 2022). The committee contacted the Chief Librarian and a meeting was set with her and the Librarian in charge of programming. Early in the meeting, it was made clear that funding was not an issue (R. Gamberg, personal communication, October 29, 2022). The proposed total budget for building the centre, which is a small physical structure, and filling it with climate change resources, was $10,000 (all figures in CAD) which would be a first-year cost (Gamberg et al., 2019). The budget for running the centre year to year was projected to be around $130,000 (R. Gamberg et al., 2019). The total amount may seem large, but in comparison to the total annual budget of the Halifax Public Library which in 2020/2021 was $27,664,086 with $2,744,180 put towards library materials and $4,360,535 put towards special projects (HPL, 2021), it is not a wholly unrealistic number. And if the investment in the planet’s future is considered, plus the advantages of creating a well-informed community, it puts the funding into greater perspective. After pitching the idea to the Chief Librarian, several concerns were voiced including not wanting a physical structure to disrupt the flow of the library, and projects such as this needing more time to be realized and come about “organically” (R. Gamberg, personal communication, October 29, 2022). Ultimately, the centre was not actualized even when there was interest, funding, and drive to make it happen. It is fair to say that projects such as this are huge undertakings for a library and require a great deal of collaborative effort and funding, but if we cannot rely on our public institutions to make an increased effort of promoting environmental literacy and change, who can we rely on? Libraries must make difficult choices in the coming years about which side of the fight they want to be on and how performative their stance is.

Responses to the Challenges

Public libraries have to contend with a wide spectrum of challenges when it comes to the complex issue of climate change and the collection development of materials relating to it. We will offer suggestions and responses that address the outlined challenges above; all this with the goal to encourage and inspire public libraries and their staff to take a more active role in our collective fight against climate change. The following section will also present a case study of a Canadian public library that is actively demonstrating a commitment to educating its community about climate change with the creation of a specific physical and virtual collection that houses useful resources of various formats on this multifaceted topic.

Thunder Bay Public Library Case Study

The city of Thunder Bay attracted headlines in 2022 when two young people residing there made history by joining a lawsuit that protests the current Ontario government’s target for reducing carbon emissions (Ecojustice, 2022). This lawsuit is the first of its kind to go to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the argument of the seven involved applicants is that the “government has endangered their right to life, liberty and security of the person under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” (TBnewsWatch.com Staff, 2022, para. 3). Citizen action can be a powerful way to cause change. The suggestions of one patron, in particular, became a catalyst for an exciting new climate change collection initiative launched by the Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) on Earth Day, April 20, 2022. The patron pointed out that climate change materials were too spread out in their physical locations in the library system; thus, making them difficult to find for the interested browsing patron (A. Meady, personal communication, October 21, 2022). The collections staff followed up on these observations and identified climate change as a key issue for their community, one that was worthy of being pursued further by the library. This new initiative was given priority by the collections department and a survey was carried out of the existing collection of various formats; outdated titles were weeded out and content gaps were filled with significant titles in current research (A. Meady, personal communication, October 21, 2022). In our communication, Meady, the TBPL director of collections, highlighted that establishing successful collaborative community relationships with local environmental agencies was integral in promoting and advertising the new collection (October 21, 2022). Prioritising and developing the list of titles was done with input from the involved agencies to ensure the titles selected were the most essential for well-rounded coverage of the topic. Donations from groups such as the Thunder Bay Environmental Film Society and strategic grant applications greatly offset the financial costs of this ambitious project (A. Meady, personal communication, October 21, 2022). To further attend to the needs of the browsing patron, in collaboration with the librarians, the collections staff developed Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) category headings that were used to group materials into easy-to-navigate topics such as sustainable living, environmentalist biographies, weather, political aspects, animals, and energy (A. Meady, personal communication, October 21, 2022; TBnewsWatch.com Staff, 2022). TBPL also has materials about water stewardship in the Indigenous Knowledge Centres located within library branches; these were left in their locations and specifically created guides connect them to the overall climate change collection and thus encourage patrons to engage with other collections (TBnewsWatch.com Staff, 2022).

The climate change collection page on the Thunder Bay Public Library website is a further valuable resource that provides compiled online sources for further exploration, associated groups and agencies, and links to CloudLibrary, the online resource provider, which hosts eBooks and eAudiobooks (TBPL, n.d.-a). The two largest TBPL branches, Brodie and Waverley, were chosen to house the newly gathered collection. The centralization of resources benefits this collection of materials by increasing its visibility and foot traffic. The final climate change collection created boasts an impressive 308 items in the online catalogue; 271 of these materials are physically present at the two participating branches (TBPL, n.d.-b). Of these, 74% are printed materials, 25% are DVDs, and 1% is of the spoken record format (n.d.-b). While there is always room for improvement in the diversity of formats presented and there are currently no indications of large print materials, this collection is a promising and rare example of this kind of specialized use of public library resources in Canada. The TBPL collections director reflected that since this collection was unveiled in 2022 it is still an early initiative with more anticipated changes to be developed as the public continues to interact with and give feedback on the featured materials (A. Meady, personal communication, October 21, 2022).

Eco-Anxiety Literature and Resources 

So how do libraries begin difficult conversations about how to approach the educational opportunities of climate change collections and what can collection managers do to ensure the proper materials are available to aid those conversations? Libraries are perfectly situated within their communities to be places where dialogue about climate change is started and facilitated. Understanding and valuing the concept of eco-anxiety should be an important consideration when making selections for library collections. Title selection of resources on the mental health repercussions of eco-anxiety would be an incredibly useful addition to a well-rounded climate change collection. The World Health Organization acknowledges these impacts and urges having support for those experiencing mental health challenges, especially in communities already closely experiencing the effects of climate change (2022). Resources on this topic range across multiple disciplines, there are compilations of book lists that can be found on websites such as ‘Climate & Mind’ that present a foundational list of titles worth exploring (n.d.).

Some other ways to combat eco-anxiety through collection materials and improve engagement with the subject of climate change are having materials that focus on and encourage sustainability (Mathur, 2022). A collection should also have a curated mix of fiction and non-fiction titles that discuss climate change and take into account the different reading needs of a community. An overload of information in non-fiction texts may be too overwhelming for some users, whereas fiction can inform while still maintaining a distance from the user and how they view their life. The literary genre of ‘climate fiction’, or ‘cli-fi’, has the potential to serve as a “proxy by which humanity can anticipate and imagine itself in disastrous futures” (Winn, 2020, p. 8). This form of escapism through fiction might even help some library patrons with mitigating feelings of eco-anxiety, navigating complicated feelings about climate change, and participating in conversations about future actions.

It is important to find “creative, playful, caring, kind and clear ways to have these conversations” (Hickman, 2020, p. 422), especially with children and young people (Hickman, 2020). An example of a playful attempt to engage children in the subject is the My Tree House library in Singapore which is a green library for children and is designed in the shape of a large tree. The tree is constructed almost entirely out of recycled materials and several features like touch screens allow children to interact with the tree (Li-Soh & Ni-Lo, 2013). The children’s collection is comprised of 45,000 materials and 30% of those materials are related to the subject of climate change (Li-Soh & Ni-Lo, 2013). This library attempts to communicate with children about a difficult subject in an innovative and creative way. They are creating a safe and playful space for children to learn without overwhelming them. Experts across disciplines agree that establishing meaningful connections is critical when tackling the challenging conversation about climate change and its effects; it can be most effective when these connections are made about universal values of family and community (David Suzuki Foundation, n.d.). Rebekkah Smith Aldritch, a co-founder of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, urges that there is a need, especially in these times after mass library closures due to the pandemic, for libraries to be active participants within their communities and to use its well-positioned location to reconnect community members (Library Land Project, 2021). The David Suzuki Foundation is internationally recognized as a leader in environmental conservation and protection research and education. The foundation has developed tools like the CliMate chatbot, integrated within Facebook Messenger, that when used with their ‘Conversation Cycle Cheat Sheet’ can be used as aids towards facilitating effective conversations about climate change (David Suzuki Foundation, n.d.). Libraries have many resources at their disposal already that would enable them to promote these conversations and help manage eco-anxiety: physical spaces for workshops and community meetings, staff trained with effective interpersonal and information literacy skills, and collections of materials that can be curated thoughtfully. Climate change is a complex scientific topic that requires a great deal of specialized knowledge, but it is not an impossible phenomenon to understand, at least on a fundamental level. Libraries can curate collections to include specific tools that present information in a digestible way which will help patrons connect with the subject. They can also lead by example and make dedicated efforts as institutions to learn more about sustainable practices and put them into action.

Collections and Sustainability

There are many ways libraries can develop collections that practice the sustainability that they should preach. Libraries can ask their vendors to use environmental packaging when delivering materials, or purchase books which are printed on recycled paper (Miller, 2010). When collections need to be weeded, deselected materials can be recycled or repurposed by being sold to used-book companies who then resell them (Miller, 2010). Instead of throwing out electronic waste and materials that are more difficult to recycle such as lead, batteries, monitors, displays, and plastics, have a policy that incorporates proper disposal methods provided by the city (Miller, 2010). The development and integration of specific sustainability goals into the collection development policy can ensure that they are not missed and become a regular part of re-assessment practices at the individual libraries.

While all of these suggested changes to regular practices might seem overwhelming or like they would require a lot of financial investments that libraries often don’t have, it’s important to look at the long-term advantages of adapting to more sustainable practices. This process would certainly require increased allocations of time and budget, but sustainability practices can often be less expensive and save libraries money in the long run. Research studies conducted on the development of green libraries have noted that library expenses can be diminished while also making a “considerable impact on the conservation of natural resources” (Gupta, 2020, p. 86). Climate change is a universal problem and if libraries are capable of implementing changes in their organizations that contribute to this fight, they should, in order to invest in the survival of future generations. What makes having collection cycle initiatives that model environmental awareness valuable is their educational impact (Dudley, 2013). Libraries need to make the most of their visibility in communities because their physical spaces and collections have the potential to be the sites that launch powerful community action.

Conclusion

While there are a few examples of libraries across Canada that are pushing for active engagement with climate change through their collections, there is still not enough scholarship being published on the subject and not enough initiatives that push for a climate change focus in collection development. We have presented two case studies of public libraries within Canada that demonstrate how the commitment to climate change resources in the collection and physical library spaces varies among different institutions. The Halifax Public Library stands as an example of a library that has tremendous potential to create a climate change resource centre that could be of significant community benefit, should the administration choose to support and push for it to happen. The Thunder Bay Public Library has demonstrated that through the involvement of experts, community collaborations, application of grants, advocacy, and general creative thinking about library operations and policies, it is possible to become active members in encouraging public awareness in the fight against climate change. There are numerous challenges facing libraries when it comes to building a collection that is well-rounded and addresses all aspects of climate change literacy, engagement, activism, and mental health concerns like eco-anxiety. As the need for understanding and action becomes more dire, library policies and collection development strategies need to reflect those needs. Very little else matters if we continue to drive our ecosystems into the ground and threaten the stability of future generations. Libraries, their collections and collection practices need to look to the future because the opportunity remains to make meaningful and significant impacts on their communities through education, leadership, and environmental stewardship (Gupta, 2020).

Sources for Further Reading

Climate & Mind. (n.d.). Books. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.climateandmind.org/books

This website provides access to a variety of books lists and materials that explore the social effects of climate change. The content here is explored from a multidisciplinary perspective with topics ranging from psychology, ecology, education and social work.

David Suzuki Foundation. (n.d.). How and why to have climate change conversations. https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/how-and-why-to-have-climate-change-conversations/

The David Suzuki Foundation is world-renowned for its work in climate research and education. This website provides many well-researched and accessible tutorials and guides that will be of assistance to anyone wanting to learn more about climate change, actionable ways to contribute to the fight against its effects, as well as ways to engage in educational efforts.

Dunlap, R. E., & Jacques, P. J. (2013). Climate change denial books and conservative think tanks: Exploring the connection. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(6), 699–731. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213477096

This was a unique article that researched and analysed 108 books on climate change denial published through 2010. It presents an interesting perspective that connects the publication of these materials to conservative think tanks and the potential reasons for this. This was helpful in realizing the amount of climate change denial literature that is published while failing to observe the peer-reviewed process in scholarly publishing and the possible misinformation consequences resulting from this.

Fedorowicz-Kruszewska, M. (2022). Green library as a subject of research – a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Journal of Documentation, 78(4), 912-932. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-08-2021-0156

This study was particularly useful in understanding the production of academic research concerning green practices for libraries. Our assumption was that as climate change becomes a more prominent issue, the number of publications about how libraries can engage with the issue would increase, but the findings of this study did not support this theory. The study was beneficial in demonstrating a gap in the research and a lack of engagement from libraries which supported the idea that collections need to adapt.

Government of Canada. (2007). From impacts to adaptation: Canada is a changing climate 2007. https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/earthsciences/pdf/assess/2007/pdf/full-complet_e.pdf

This website offers a wealth of online information and while we acknowledge that there are significant climate change resources available through it on the federal level, this is limited as it is only an online resource and currently does not allow physical public access to any of its six locations across Canada.

Gupta, S. (2020). Green library: A Strategic approach to environmental sustainability. International Journal of Information Studies & Libraries, 5(2), 82-92. http://publishingindia.com/ijisl/107/green-library-a-strategic-approach-to-environmental-sustainability/912/6289/

In this article, Gupta analyses green libraries by focusing on four essential components: building design, green practices, collections issues, and technologies that can facilitate these changes. The article discusses green innovations implemented in libraries in India and also supplies useful research data from an analysis of several North American libraries which aids in constructing the larger picture of what kind of resource demands and financial advantages these changes can mean for the libraries adopting them.

Hartman, P. J. (2016). Keeping current with climate change resources: it’s always the day after tomorrow! Reference Reviews, 30(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1108/RR-05-2015-0128

This was an excellent resource that provides an annotated bibliography of 22 recommended titles about climate change-related topics. Since it is published in 2016, we do note that this is slightly outdated but during our literature search we were unable to find any other sources that compared to this list and found that the recommendations would still be a useful resource to any library professional looking to start on the task of creating or updating a climate change collection. The limitations of this article also help to identify a gap that exists in the literature of current similar resources.

Henk, M. (2014). Ecology, economy, equity: The path to a carbon-neutral library. ALA Editions.

Sustainability was a key component of this resource which was helpful in informing us of how collections need to approach the topic of climate change holistically. It’s not enough to simply purchase climate change resources and put them on shelves, or purchase a product from vendors because they say it is eco-friendly. There are many other factors that need to be considered when developing a climate change collection like the materials used to make resources, where a resource comes from, and the size of its carbon footprint.

Hickman, C. (2020). We need to (find a way to) talk about … Eco-anxiety. Journal of Social Work Practice, 34(4), 411–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2020.1844166

This is a very enlightening article that explores the concept of eco-anxiety and particularly how it is experienced by young children and youth of today. It is informed by Hickman’s experiences as a psychotherapist conducting climate psychology and eco-anxiety workshops. It highlights the need for conversations that need to be had with an age demographic most at risk of having intense emotional reactions to the topics of climate change as well as the need for an emphasis on mental health resources.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Sixth assessment report: Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/

This resource is very current and takes a look at a variety of multifaceted ways in which climate change affects all geographical areas. The 3068 page report is easily digestible through a break up into sections: FAQs, Fact Sheets by continent, Summaries for Policymakers and Technical Summaries that present the major findings.

Miller, K. (2010). Public libraries going green. American Library Association.

This book was one of the few found in the literature search that was specific to the subject of public libraries incorporating green practices into their institutions. The book covered three aspects of ‘greening libraries’: having a sustainable space, offering environmentally focused services, and improving environmental literacy in collections. The book is a brief overview of all these initiatives but it was a good starting point to engage with these subjects.

Portland Community College. (2022, October 26). Climate change LibGuide. https://guides.pcc.edu/climatechange

This LibGuide is quite a thorough and current academic resource that features subcategories dealing with topics such as climate change basic information, actions and solutions, grief and anxiety, justice, and misinformation. This would be of high educational value for someone interested in exploring this topic as it presents a broad overview as well as some challenges involved in its discussions.

References

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Antonelli, M. & McCullough, M. (2012). Greening libraries. Library Juice Press.

Aytac, S. (2022). Libraries as agents of climate change literacy. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). https://repository.ifla.org/bitstream/123456789/2076/1/s5-2022-aytac-en.pdf

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. (2022). At doom’s doorstep: It is 100 seconds to midnight: 2022 Doomsday Clock Statement. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/

Canadian Federation of Library Associations. (2019). Statement on intellectual freedom and libraries. https://cfla-fcab.ca/en/guidelines-and-position-papers/statement-on-intellectual-freedom-and-libraries/

The Canadian Press. (2022, October 19). Post-tropical storm Fiona most costly weather event to ever hit Atlantic Canada, new estimate says. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/fiona-atlantic-canada-insured-damages-660-million-1.6621583

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Fedorowicz-Kruszewska, M. (2022). Green library as a subject of research – a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Journal of Documentation, 78(4), 912-932. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-08-2021-0156

Gamberg, R., Jantek, L., Kingston, C. & McMorris, M.. (2019). Climate change centre at the Halifax public library. Halifax Public Library. https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/standing-committees/190704essc1031pres.pdf

Goldman, L. (2022). Climate change and youth : turning grief and anxiety into activism. Routledge.

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Gupta, S. (2020). Green library: A Strategic approach to environmental sustainability. International Journal of Information Studies & Libraries, 5(2), 82-92. http://publishingindia.com/ijisl/107/green-library-a-strategic-approach-to-environmental-sustainability/912/6289/

Halifax Public Library. (n.d.-a). Catalogue keyword search – Climate change. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://halifax.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?searchType=keyword&query=climate%20change&_ga=2.171654185.867143530.1667164164-1562122847.1665510271&_gl=1*1wevoc1*_ga*MTU2MjEyMjg0Ny4xNjY1NTEwMjcx*_ga_G99DMMNG39*MTY2NzE2NDE2Ny42LjEuMTY2NzE2NDE3My4wLjAuMA..

Halifax Public Library. (n.d.-b). Climate action. Retrieved October 21, 2022, from https://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/science-and-environment/climate-action/?utm_source=Browse+Nav+Menu&utm_medium=Portal+Page&utm_campaign=Climate+Action

Halifax Public Library. (2021). Financials 2021-2022. https://www2.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/archives/annual-reports/2020-21/Annual-Report-FINANCIALS-8.5×11-JUL2021.pdf

Hartman, P. J. (2016). Keeping current with climate change resources: it’s always the day after tomorrow! Reference Reviews, 30(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1108/RR-05-2015-0128

Henk, M. (2014). Ecology, economy, equity: The path to a carbon-neutral library. ALA Editions.

Hickman, C. (2020). We need to (find a way to) talk about … Eco-anxiety. Journal of Social Work Practice, 34(4), 411–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2020.1844166

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022-a). Sixth assessment report: Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022-b). Technical summary. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/technical-summary/

Library Land Project. (2021, July 8). Library land conversations interview with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/E7sl4nItFC0

Li-Soh, L. & Ni-Lo, W. (2013). My tree house – The world’s 1st green library for kids. IFLA WLIC 2013. https://library.ifla.org/id/eprint/122/1/115b-soh-en.pdf

Martin, G., Reilly, K., Everitt, H., & Gilliland, J. A. (2021). Review: the impact of climate change awareness on children’s mental well-being and negative emotions – a scoping review. Child Adolescent Mental Health, 27(1), 59-72. doi: 10.1111/camh.12525

Mathur, P. (2022). Curate, advocate, collaborate: Updating a school library collection to promote sustainability and counter eco-anxiety. The Journal for Education, 42(1), 7-12. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.391361260743551

Mayer, M., Elcher, R., & Kubota, G. B. (2022). Understanding climate skepticism: Motivations behind climate change doubt and denial. Florida Communication Journal, 50(1), 31–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213477097

Miller, K. (2010). Public libraries going green. American Library Association.

Portland Community College. (2022, October 26). Climate change LibGuide. https://guides.pcc.edu/climatechange

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