McBookface, following in the tyretracks of big sibling Booky!)
l An evolving online resource page at
www.CILIPS.org.uk/cilips-go-green packed with links to environmentally-friendly libraries around the world, reading rec- ommendations to highlight the critical need for climate action and top tips for small, sustainable changes that can add up to a big difference]
The Climate Challenge and Libraries
by Pamela Tulloch, CEO of The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC)
The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) has actively ensured that libraries remain at the heart of the climate debate. Libraries are well placed to lead the way and support the climate agenda within the communities they serve. As the originators of the sharing economy, libraries have demonstrated that community capacity is built on reus- ing resources and reducing consumption. As COP26 visits Glasgow, the aspi- rations of world leaders will confront and tackle the climate emergency. SLIC is working in partnership with a range of organisations to ensure that librar- ies across Scotland not only adopt the climate agenda, but are also seen as pivotal to support communities with climate challenges both local and global. Two leading initiatives are Climate Beacons and #COP26Conversations.
Climate Beacons Climate Beacons for COP26 is a Scot- land-wide collaborative project between climate change or environmental organ- isations and arts, heritage or cultural organisations to stimulate long-term public engagement in the lead-up to and following COP26. The project is being led by Creative Carbon Scotland, connecting the seven Beacons and offering support throughout, alongside six co-ordinating partners: Architecture & Design Scotland, Creative Scotland, Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, Museums Galleries Scotland, Scottish Library and Informa- tion Council, and Sustainable Scotland Network. Climate Beacons for COP26 is funded by the Scottish Government’s
Climate Change and Culture Divisions, Creative Scotland, and Museums Galleries Scotland.
Seven hubs known as ‘Climate Beacons’ are evolving in Argyll, Caithness & East Sutherland, Fife, Inverclyde, Midlothian, the Outer Hebrides and Tayside. Shared resources and knowledge from cultural and climate organisations have been brought together. The Climate Beacons will provide a welcoming physical and virtual space for the public, artists and cultural sector professionals, environmen- tal officers, scientists and policymakers to discuss and debate COP26 themes and climate action specific to each local area. The Climate Beacons were selected through a competitive application process. The calibre of projects and partnership submissions was extremely high. This demonstrated that Scotland is not only ready to address the climate emergency but actively doing something about it – at scale. The successful Climate Beacons are to be congratulated for their achievement and the opportunity to bring life to their vision. In particular, the Climate Beacons in
Inverclyde and the Outer Hebrides have public libraries at the core, reinforcing the role that libraries have to educate and in- form. In addition, libraries are the trusted, safe, spaces in communities where people can come together to debate, learn and collaborate.
l Climate Beacons for COP26 will run until July 2022.
#COP26Conversations
Museums and Galleries Scotland (MGS), Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and SLIC have joined forces to make funding available for Museums, Galleries, Historic Environment Organisations and Libraries to host climate conversations and debate in the run up to and during #COP26. While the event is taking place in Glasgow, it is intended for the ‘big’ conversation to take place across Scotland demonstrating that no-one is too small to make a difference and that we are all responsible for the decisions and actions we take. The #COP26Conversations Fund has been designed to help cultural and heritage organisations begin to raise their profile
October-November 2021
as spaces for communities to engage with the climate challenge and explore positive actions. The fund encourages fun and creative participation, a chance to connect with the energy that is building in Scot- land as the hosts of COP26. The Fund is being delivered in part- nership between Museums Galleries Scotland, the Scottish Library and Infor- mation Council and Historic Environment Scotland. It will offer small grants (up to £1,000) to museums, libraries and historic environment organisations to host small scale, community focused events and activities in the build up to and during COP26. A list of the successful recipients for the #COP26Conversations Fund will be published late Summer. For more information, please see the websites below:
https://tinyurl.com/2nwek73c
https://tinyurl.com/c4yeybtx
https://scottishlibraries.org/
Inverclyde Libraries – Climate Beacon COP26
by Alison Nolan – Team Leader Libraries
The Inverclyde Beacon is formed of a partnership between Inverclyde Libraries, The Beacon arts centre, Belville Community Garden Trust, RIG Arts, and Inverclyde Men’s Shed, among others. The Inverclyde Beacon will focus on the roles of climate change mitigation and adaptation as part of one of Scotland’s most economically deprived areas’ recovery from Covid-19. Pre-pandemic and with access to the Public Library Improvement Fund, Inverclyde had spent time 2018-2019 developing their libraries as Cultural Hubs, offering alternative programming. When the pilot was evaluated, it was found that local citizens felt a culture-based library is one that taps into the spirit of the commu- nity, assessing priorities and providing resources to support the things deemed most important. One valuable lesson learnt during the pandemic was community spirit and empowerment, as communities rallied together to face the challenges Covid threw at them, and it also cemented the role that libraries play at the heart of those commu- nities. Inverclyde public libraries and the services they offered were havens for com- munity members in a time of uncertainty. Libraries by their very nature are ‘green’ in that their resources are shared by the larger community – Inverclyde’s delivery service, informal online programming, timely access to PCs and support for digital literacy was a priority for the community and crucial during Covid-19.
Being a Climate Beacon in the run up to COP26 is giving Inverclyde Libraries an opportunity to harness this community en- gagement, offering new and unusual green programs to our communities. Communi- ties need libraries and librarians to act as role models for sustainability by providing accurate information on all manner of
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