Learn more and apply:
A pilot training program from the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, this program is designed to create a replicable model program to prepare public and tribal library staff in smaller and rural communities to plan and implement locally relevant community resilience activities with community partners.
The program will result in up to 40 library-led initiatives to mitigate or adapt to climate hazards and stronger relationships between libraries and local community-based organizations for the purposes of climate adaptation, integrating the National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries (NCASL) into daily operations. The pilot process will inform the refinement of a scalable training model to help libraries find practical ways to apply community resilience strategies.
This pilot was developed with support from the Mellon Foundation through the award of SLI’s “Operationalizing Community Resilience: Creating a Training and Partnership Model for Libraries” grant.
Training Elements
The training and project development support will take place over six-months in 2026, anticipated to begin in June and end in December.
Successful applicants will be assigned to a state-specific learning cohort.
Participants will work with SLI trainers and in collaboration with their regional cohorts throughout the training to identify project focus areas and potential partners, scope an effective project plan, and initiate or complete the implementation of their plan.
The training will include live virtual sessions, asynchronous project work, and live virtual training and working groups by cohort. Sessions anticipated to begin in June 2026 and end in December 2026 include:
- A one-hour virtual live, all-states kick-off,
- Three virtual live one-hour cohort training sessions to select and scope and activity, identify potential partners, and initiate work on a template action plan,
- Access to related resources and chat functionality in learning platform for asynchronous research and discussion,
- Monthly one-hour online support meetings for each cohort to track progress and share learning, and
- A final 90-minute all-states virtual live session to share accomplishments and outcomes and celebrate the work completed.
Guidelines
- Applications are now open for staff working in public libraries serving populations of 25,000 or fewer in the four pilot states: California, Iowa, Massachusetts, and New York.
- Those working in standalone public libraries will be eligible, as well as those in tribal libraries. (For clarity, due to the limited scope, those working in smaller branches of larger systems are not eligible to apply for this pilot.)
- A total of 40 public or tribal library staff members will be selected, with a goal of ten individuals selected from each of the pilot states.
- Each successful applicant’s library will receive $750 to use as needed to support the successful applicant’s participation.
Application
- Preview the application here (PDF)
- Apply with the button at the bottom of the page.
- The application is anticipated to take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.
Timeline:
- Application open date: April 6, 2026
- Application deadline: Submissions must be completed by May 4, 2026 at 6 pm PDT/8 pm CDT/9 pm EDT
- Anticipated notification to applicants: End of May, 2026
Please direct any questions to sliadmin@suffolknet.org