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G2S Project Code: 2022-CA-92269
State: California
Fiscal Year: 2022

Grantee
STATE LIBRARY OF CALIFORNIA

Project Director
Director Name: Julianna Robbins
Director Phone: (916) 323-9843
Director Email: julianna.robbins@library.ca.gov

General Information
Title: Sustainable California Libraries
State Project Code: GRP-SCL-22
Start Date: 07/01/2022
End Date: 09/30/2023
Abstract: The California State Library implemented a Sustainable California Libraries initiative and supported nineteen diverse local library jurisdictions as they created community events centered around climate education and sustainability and based on community needs and aspirations. These included education programs for all ages on everything from compost to low-waste living, interactive programs such as Fix-It clinics and story strolls, and creation of libraries of things, including tool and seed libraries. Projects focused on accessibility, language access, reaching underserved communities, community partnerships, and the unique strengths and challenges of each community. Libraries and community partners effectively produced bilingual, intergenerational programming to meet community needs. Partnerships and connections were established and will continue beyond the terms of the grant. Notably, upwards of 40 percent of attendees had never attended a library program before, 95 percent of survey respondents reported that they learned something from the program, and more than 92 percent noted they intended to apply what they learned.
State Goal: Goal 3: Inspire, Support, & Engage Communities

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$475,518.00

$0.00

$24,402.00

$499,920.00

Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.
Community Concerns
Environment

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Sustainable Libraries of Things
Narrative: Nine participating library jurisdictions acquired physical and digital items that supported the goal of the Sustainable California Libraries initiative and addressed community needs and aspirations. These library collections reflect a commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and resource sharing, encompassing a wide range of projects from lending tools to promoting bee conservation and providing resources on sustainable living. Notable programs include Sunnyvale Public Library initiated a Library of Things project, acquiring items like electric leaf blowers, thermal cameras, cake pans, and digitizers, San Diego County Library materials and programs covered topics such as gardening, urban homesteading, sustainability, climate resilience, recycling, composting, waste reduction, and carbon footprint reduction, San Mateo Public Library introduced five toolkits for phone, tablet, and laptop screen repairs, and Humboldt Library developed a Library of Things collection specific to Hoopa Valley Reservation patron requests, featuring household and garden tools, cookware, outdoor equipment, and more.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Combined physical & digital

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 314
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 0
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 800
Number of electronic materials acquired: 124
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types

Public Libraries: 58
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Sustainable Story Stroll Kits, Seed Kits, Bee Friendly Kits and More
Narrative: Five participating Sustainable California Libraries projects created various kits that supported the goal of the Sustainable California Libraries initiative and addressed community needs and aspirations. San Diego Public Library’s exemplary project developed reusable, multilingual story stroll kits for children and their families, including with QR code read-aloud accessibility in English and Spanish, and several with braille transcription. They also created interactive components including scavenger hunts and pop-up events and collaborated with community partners to develop interactive sustainability programs. Other kits and related programming included reusable and bilingual story stroll kits, seed and garden kits, pollinator demonstration garden materials, bus advertisements, seed library expansion materials, and mini seed libraries at various locations.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Combined physical & digital

Quantity
Number of items digitized: 0
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 0
Number of physical items: 974
Number of open-source applications/software/systems: 0
Number of proprietary applications/software/systems: 0
Number of learning resources (e.g. toolkits, guides): 210
Number of plans/frameworks: 1

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 12
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Community Shred Days & Fix-It Clinics
Narrative: Two community shred days were held at Sunnyvale Public Library in partnership with the City of Sunnyvale's Environmental Services Division, one in November 2022 and the other in March 2023. The November 2022 event served a total of 587 vehicles, with 11.16 tons of paper collected. The March 2023 event served a total of 567 vehicles and 10.02 tons of paper were collected. The San Mateo Public Library offered their community two Fixit Clinics, with 120 people participating. Fixit Clinic is a volunteer-based community group. The idea of these events is that the community member with the broken object is the one to fix it and the volunteers act as consultants and advise them what to do. Some of the objects fixed were toys, blenders, vacuum cleaners, portable speakers, handbags, comforters and more.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Consultation/drop-in/referral
Format: In-person

Quantity
Total number of consultation/reference transactions: 1,274
Average number of consultation/reference transactions per month: 188

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Public Libraries: 2
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Sustainable California Libraries Speaker Series, Presentations, Green Week and More
Narrative: Eight participating library jurisdictions offered presentation/performance activities that supported the goal of the Sustainable California Libraries initiative and addressed community needs and aspirations. These included Green Week community celebrations, Indigiscape presentations, Green Communities presentations, Expert Speaker Series, Owning Your Environmental Story with Kristy Drutman of Browngirl Green, Water Nitrates and Water Justice, CompostGal Lori Caldwell sharing about drought tolerant landscaping, rain barrels, the tool lending library, and other rebates, and several Sustainability speaker series. Topics explored included green business certification, home energy efficiency, community solar documentary screening and discussion, an all-ages presentation on protecting nature, talks on Bay Area water health, food waste reduction lectures, water conservation presentations in the Central Valley, vermiculture demonstrations, and much more. Many events were bilingual, some were all ages, and all involved community partners. These presentations educated and engaged community members on actions to take to become more sustainable.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Presentation/performance
Format: Combined in-person & virtual

Quantity
Presentation/performance length (minutes): 75
Number of presentations/performances administered: 83
Average number in attendance per session: 23

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 22
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Sustainable Community Larger-Scale Programming: Earth Day Fairs, Carbon Conversations & More
Narrative: Five participating library jurisdictions hosted large scale programs that supported the goals of the Sustainable California Libraries initiative and addressed community needs and aspirations. These community programs centered around climate education and a wide variety of sustainability topics. Programs including Earth Day celebrations and fairs, Sustainability Expos, Carbon Conversations, and field trips to the library for all sixth graders to have a hands-on garden workday. Two exemplary library programs, the San Diego Public Library and San Diego County Library, along with the City of San Diego's Sustainability Department and community-based partner, I AM Green, hosted an Every Day is Earth Day celebration, where attendees joined composting and sustainable gardening and cooking workshops and learned about local clean energy, community gardens, and sustainability programs and tools in the Southeastern San Diego community. Participants also attended the Climate Action: Art and Advocacy presentation and art unveiling by the Southeastern San Diego Youth Climate Resiliency Taskforce.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: Combined in-person & virtual

Quantity
Session length (minutes): 180
Number of sessions in program: 7
Average number in attendance per session: 632
Number of times program administered: 6

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 5
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Question 1: I learned something by participating in this library activity.
Strongly Agree: 59
Agree: 23
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 4
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: I feel more confident about what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 54
Agree: 23
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 9
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 3: I intend to apply what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 52
Agree: 24
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 9
Disagree: 1
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 4: I am more aware of resources and services provided by the library.
Strongly Agree: 45
Agree: 27
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 10
Disagree: 4
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 5: I am more likely to use other library resources and services.
Strongly Agree: 45
Agree: 23
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 12
Disagree: 6
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0

Activity Details
Title: Sustainable Community Smaller-Scale Programming: Guided Hikes, Compost Workshops, Mending & More
Narrative: Thirteen participating library jurisdictions hosted smaller scale programs that supported the goals of the Sustainable California Libraries initiative and addressed community needs and aspirations. Programs included San Diego Public Library’s workshops for adults and intergenerational groups with continuing education credit through UC San Diego Extended Studies, San Diego County Library’s Seeds & Sustainability programs across many branches for a total of 61 programs with an average attendance of 35 people, Glendale Library Arts & Culture's all-ages Guided Nature Hike, presented in English, Spanish, and Armenian, where participants learned about Deukmejian Wilderness Park's plants and animals, San Mateo Public Library's six mending programs for kids, teens, and adults, and others including a Green Book Club series, a Youth Climate Task force, Sustainability Youth Camps, a series of classes on sustainability and gardening topics for adults with developmental disabilities, classes on urban beekeeping, attracting pollinators, accessible gardening, composting with worms, living with wildlife, eliminating food waste, composting, upcycling workshops, and much more.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: Combined in-person & virtual

Quantity
Session length (minutes): 122
Number of sessions in program: 144
Average number in attendance per session: 19
Number of times program administered: 22

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 13
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 2
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Question 1: I learned something by participating in this library activity.
Strongly Agree: 388
Agree: 147
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 8
Disagree: 2
Strongly Disagree: 21
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: I feel more confident about what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 370
Agree: 167
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 12
Disagree: 2
Strongly Disagree: 11
Non-Response: 4
Question 3: I intend to apply what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 355
Agree: 168
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 25
Disagree: 3
Strongly Disagree: 8
Non-Response: 7
Question 4: I am more aware of resources and services provided by the library.
Strongly Agree: 329
Agree: 190
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 31
Disagree: 6
Strongly Disagree: 9
Non-Response: 1
Question 5: I am more likely to use other library resources and services.
Strongly Agree: 327
Agree: 170
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 38
Disagree: 11
Strongly Disagree: 14
Non-Response: 6

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
"In addition to the variety of programs and services developed at the nineteen California Library jurisdictions, several notable trends emerged. A few projects incorporated California Green Business certification or Sustainable Libraries Initiative certification into their planning, to demonstrate the library’s commitment to sustainability as a core value of librarianship. Partnerships with local Regional Energy Networks proved valuable. Resources and initiatives were of interest to many libraries in California, not just those participating in this grant opportunity. Many libraries purchased books and e-books related to all topics of sustainability and used them extensively in their programming and to meet the high demand from community members for resources on sustainability topics around native plants, beekeeping, low-waste living, and more. Materials were purchased with community member needs in mind, in multiple formats, languages, and reading levels, from picture books to adult nonfiction. Several libraries established or strengthened partnerships with Native Americans / Tribal Nations in their community. Sutter County, for example, held a workshop on traditional uses for native plants delivered by a member of the Enterprise Rancheria (Estom Yumeka Maidu tribe), that was highly interactive and requested to be repeated. There were multiple opportunities to collaborate with indigenous and tribal community organizations which will continue to be explored moving forward. Libraries worked collaboratively within their local government departments and with a variety of community-based organizations. Sunnyvale Public Library, for example, in partnership with their Environmental Services Division, hosted two community shred days with more than 1,000 community members served, and more than 22 tons of paper collected. Another library stated, “Strategic partnerships were key to implementing this type of project. The parameters for the grant itself encouraged and set in motion cross-departmental collaboration with partners within our local jurisdiction.” Libraries and community partners effectively produced bilingual, intergenerational programming to meet community needs. Libraries that were able to make programs available remotely or record programs found success in reaching community members unable to make it to in person programming. Due to ever-increasing weather challenges during prime programming periods (January-May), flexibility in programming and delivery modes were essential. Programs all connected with the theme of Sustainability, but were very much unique to community needs and aspirations. For example, Santa Fe Springs Library created a 12-week series of short, accessible, hands-on instructional workshops for adults with disabilities, each centered on a different aspect of environmental education such as native plant or benefits of trees. This program addressed a particular need in the community for adults with disabilities and far exceeded the number of spaces originally planned. Future library programs were influenced positively too, with simple accessibility tweaks such as ergonomic tables and kneelers, making the program accessible to a wider audience. Programs were assessed based on numbers in attendance, verbal and written feedback, both formal input from surveys and informally delivered in conversation, and from the number and quality of enduring community partnerships and relationships that were established or significantly strengthened during the project period. In addition to community-based programming, library staff participated online in several community of practice sessions, coordinated by the State Library and project advisory staff from partners. Project coordinators additionally shared promising practices and program results at both the annual California Library Association conference in June 2023 and the virtual 2023 Sustainability Symposium in July 2023. The Symposium was recorded and added to the statewide training video archive.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
Based on the experiences of the nineteen participating library jurisdictions, the following important findings should be noted. Climate change and weather extremes created a huge impact on programming and should be kept in mind. Some community members preferred outdoor programming. Many program attendees sought out intergenerational opportunities. Community members were hungry for actions they could take both individually and collectively, at home and in the community to become more climate resilient, and sustainability related programs draw in community members that are not traditionally reached with library programs. The need for climate education and sustainability programming has increased. This award proved that library operations and programming should incorporate sustainability practices and climate resilience in each aspect of operations, supporting local community aspirations and Sustainability as a core value of librarianship.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
"Lessons learned include that community partnerships and flexibility are key. Some libraries had plans that had to shift or be scaled back. For example, a library that wanted to create a community apiary (beehive) was unable to get city approval but was able to pivot and create a robust community teaching garden, including a sensory area and programming space, with the help of community volunteers. Many libraries found procuring seeds for seed libraries difficult, but were able to rely on community-based solutions, including seed sorting circles staffed by senior and teen volunteers to spread seeds out more, and increasing educational programming on seed saving. Spending funds on targeted outreach materials including local newspaper ads and social media, was effective in some communities. Making programs more accessible through virtual attendance options, including live streaming options and recordings that include captions, can increase reach effectively. Another lesson learned was that there needed to be a renewed focus on accessibility and the importance of programming outside of the library, both on library grounds and in the community, where community members naturally congregate. Programs that partnered with community agencies to produce off-site programming, including at farmers markets or local museums, saw higher levels of engagement in certain communities. Programs that expanded outdoor pollinator gardens or outdoor education spaces brought in community members that may have been unwilling to be indoors with groups post-covid. Overall, outdoor programming and learning spaces appear to have lasting appeal, an essential point for future library planning. Many of the lessons learned apply more broadly to all library programming. From Humboldt County Library, “Since extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent as a result of climate change, we will need to take this into consideration in all projects going forward.” Also noted, was that programs about sustainability should focus on “making sustainability initiatives affordable, accessible, and renter friendly.” Another library described their community events as opportunities to “participate in environmental measures and civic engagement for the betterment of our community, and beyond.” Ensuring that presenters and promotional materials were fully bilingual was essential for the success of many programs. Encouraging word of mouth sharing, outreach in schools and after school programs was essential in underserved and immigrant communities. San Diego Public Library noted that live interpretation in multiple languages was essential to the success of their events, stating, ”Program attendees were very happy to have the service available, as it provided a starting point for engagement that otherwise would not have been present for us, and opened dialogue between patrons and the subject matter experts presenting the workshops.”
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:

Exemplary: Yes
Exemplary NarrativeFeedback from the nineteen participating library jurisdictions and community members was overwhelmingly positive and there was high engagement around the topics of sustainability and climate at the local and state level. There was building interest around the topics of sustainability and climate interest among libraries participating in this grant opportunity and the California library and partner community in general. This comment from Murrieta Public Library is indicative of the ongoing impacts across the nineteen projects: We receive daily comments and compliments on the grant funded projects and programs. People are thrilled with the direction the library is taking, and they’re letting us know about it through comment cards, conversations in the library, and by sharing on social media that it has inspired them to create their own California native gardens and implement sustainable practices.. The immense popularity of the Seed Library has resulted in changing our regularly offered programs to now include an additional series of gardening and sustainability-themed, monthly programs for both children and adults. The positive community feedback on the Pollinator Garden has resulted in our creating a library garden club to help meet the interests of patrons, to create a community conversation about city landscapes and biodiversity, to help with program planning and ideas and to help maintain the Pollinator Garden in an entirely different manner than the rest of the library landscaping. Partnerships and connections with a wide variety of local organizations, groups, dynamic individuals, and local agencies are continually being established and strengthened as a result of this very impactful grant project.

Project Tags: Environment, Community, Civic Concerns