2025 Pre-Conference Program - From Anxiety to Action: How the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program Builds Stronger Communities

Workshop presented by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MLS, LEED AP, of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative.

According to research presented in the 2023 Surgeon General’s report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, “social connection is an important social determinant of health, and more broadly, of community well-being, including (but not limited to) population health, community resilience when natural hazards strike, community safety, economic prosperity, and representative government.” Furthermore, “loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for premature death by 26% and 29% respectively... and it is associated with increased risk for anxiety, depression, and dementia.”

To begin the work of combating loneliness, libraries will learn how to create more connections through programs and services, that positively impact the well-being of residents, while addressing issues of social cohesion and justice, financial equity and environmental stewardship. Using the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program and the National Climate Action Strategy Guide as examples, participants will gain an understanding about community disaster preparedness, climate action work, community resiliency and social cohesion efforts.

Participants will leave this session armed with knowledge on how to support their communities by advancing social connections utilizing the SLCP action items and the six pillars from the Surgeon General’s report:

1. Strengthen Social Infrastructure in Local Communities
2. Enact Pro-Connection Public Policies
3. Mobilize the Health Sector
4. Reform Digital Environments
5. Deepen our Knowledge
6. Cultivate a Culture of Connection

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will recognize how social connections, and the lack of connections, impacts communities.
2. Participants will be able to identify the six pillars of social connection.
3. Participants will be able to describe how the SLCP address areas of social cohesion, community resiliency, disaster preparedness, and financial sustainability.
4. At the end of the pre-conference, participants will have a draft document of one of the following: a disaster preparedness plan; a social connection program geared towards a higher risk age group for social isolation; or a volunteer program proposal connecting library workers with a community-based organization.
5. Participants will be able to delineate the concepts of climate mitigation, climate adaptation and climate justice

Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MLS, LEED AP, is the co-founder of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and a co-creator of the award-winning Sustainable Library Certification Program. Currently the executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System (NY), Rebekkah has been invited to speak on the topic of sustainability around the world and has written extensively on the topic of sustainability, including the titles Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Libraries Future in an Uncertain World and Resilience, part of the ALA Futures Series. Rebekkah was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker, and in 2018 received the Outstanding Service to Libraries Award from the New York Library Association.