For Immediate Release
December 29, 2025

John Jermain Memorial Library is Certified Sustainable
The Sustainable Libraries Initiative recognizes John Jermain Memorial Library
as a leader in sustainability.

Suffolk County, NY –December 29, 2025 – John Jermain Memorial Library located in Sag Harbor, New York has been designated as a Certified Sustainable Library through the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP).

For the past 2 years, the John Jermain Memorial Library has committed itself to telling its sustainability story by working through over 200 benchmarks of the Sustainable Library Certification Program. 

"The John Jermain Memorial Library is thrilled to have received its Sustainable Library Certification from SLI. While we have always strived to work in an environmentally sound, socially equitable, and financially feasible manner, the certification process not only reinforced our current practices but also showed us ways to enhance our services and provided us with direction and opportunities to increase our sustainability efforts," said John Jermain Memorial Library Executive Director Kelly Harris. 

Partnerships allow the library to build community connections through work such as supporting childhood literacy with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, continuously collecting donations for a local food pantry, and running programs at a local brewery to reach new audiences in a non-traditional environment. 

The library grounds are covered with a no-mow clover lawn, along with a thoughtful variety of native plants, to support local pollinator species and aid in rainwater absorption. An indoor community gardening program regularly brings fresh produce, resources, and information to library patrons. 

With this achievement, John Jermain Memorial Library becomes the thirty-first public library to earn SLCP certification: an award-winning benchmarking system and community of practice designed to provide public libraries, academic libraries, library systems, and school librarians with exclusive resources and guidelines to shift towards a cleaner, greener, and more equitable future. 

Moving forward, the library will continue monitoring sustainability outcomes, cultivating community partnerships, applying for funding opportunities, and embedding sustainability goals into its strategic plan.

“The John Jermain Memorial Library has a long history of playing a vital role in Sag Harbor and its surrounding communities, and it is great to see them working in that capacity to promote the tenants of environmental stewardship, resiliency and inclusivity that are at the core of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative,” said the library’s mentor and Director of the Copiague Memorial Public Library Ken Miller. “Their efforts should serve as a fine example to the community and others wishing to promote sustainability.”

For more information, please view the John Jermain Memorial Library final presentation or reach out to SLI staff by emailing sliadmin@suffolknet.org. 

About the Sustainable Libraries Initiative

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative is a member-driven organization that empowers library professionals to be leaders in triple-bottom-line sustainability (environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic feasibility) both within their organizations and in their communities. The Sustainable Library Certification Program is now enrolling public and academic libraries, library systems, and school librarians.