Blackwell Hall in the Weston Library.
Duke Humfrey’s Library. Photo © Greg Smolonski
our librarians that may spot things and can suggest improvements for how the build- ings are run – for instance, could sensor lighting be put into little-used places where the lights stay on for much of the day, or could push taps be suggested for toilets, particularly where the public use them. Are the radiators on but the windows open? It will be our key staff working in these areas that can spot things and help us manage our buildings better.”
She says that “Bodleian Librarians and support staff also support these sustainabil- ity initiatives as we are closely maintaining the buildings in a way that aligns to the care of their book collections”.
She points out that if savings are made it could make funds available for the collection itself. Another plus side is that the subject itself provokes valuable communication: “Sustainability is a growing agenda item for many, and so we find people want to engage and be educated and encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint, both at work and elsewhere. This is also good for staff engagement as library staff can engage with other colleagues and teams by being a part of a Green impact group improving communi- cation and cross team working. At one of our sites a vegetable planter and bug hotel has been built by the local Green Impact team, helping to educate and introduce these staff to the benefits of growing your own, as well as providing them with the opportunity to socialise with different teams.”
So Sarah’s top tip for librarians is to start up a Green Impact team and let team mem- bers identify wasteful practices and ways to improve them. The Bodleian Libraries has several Green Impact groups across its various library buildings. Groups tend to meet monthly for one hour and set actions for each month. These are some of the improvements these groups have led on:
52 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
Weston Library. Photo © John Cairns l Switch off / Green electronics campaign
l Publicising sustainable computer, photocopier and printer settings
l Turning off lights and electronic equipment at night
l Moving to recycled paper
l Making sure your printers are set to duplex, black & white by default
l Encourage Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
l Are you using single-use items? Plastic/paper cups at water fountains can be swapped out for washable cups
l Do staff know what can go in the recycling? You can create clear signage (often available as printable pdfs through your recycling contractor)
l Do staff bring in reusable water bottles or coffee cups? Why not see if you can get funding to have branded keep cups
l Promote sustainable travel
l Most organisations have interest free loan schemes for bikes or sustainable travel
l Walk or ride to work – national schemes help change habits and create healthier work force, which often improve attendance
Sarah’s ongoing projects include monitor- ing usage in their fleet of vehicles to scope out the possibility of moving to electric power. There is also the creation of a sus- tainable meeting check-list and guide. But the options aren’t just about work initiatives; one of the Bodleian Green Impact groups has led the development of a ‘SWISH table’ which gives employees a place to swap clothes, toys or children’s books and other general items in good, clean and reusable condition.
High end
At the other end of the scale the Bodleian Libraries has its cutting-edge book storage facility in Swindon. “We are a legal deposit library, so we receive a copy of each book published in the UK – approximately 15,680 books a month. To enable this we have a book storage facility in Swindon which can house up to 13 million books – we are at 10.5 million at the moment.”
Readers don’t access the building, they request books and vans deliver to libraries around Oxford twice a day. There is also a scanning service on site so an article or chapter can be sent to readers electronically for a small fee. Sarah points out: “This is not a library building but a book storage facility so
March 2020
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