For Immediate Release

April 15, 2026

Sustainable Libraries Initiative Partners with the Academic Library Association of Ohio
 The Sustainable Libraries Initiative partners with the Academic Library Association of Ohio to cultivate library leadership for community resilience.

           New York–April 15, 2026- A new partnership between the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) and the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) aims to equip ALAO members with tools and resources to address the challenges and mitigate the impact of climate change in their communities.

“We are very excited to work more closely with the Academic Library Association of Ohio and enable all of their members to accelerate their adoption of practices that will help them live their values out loud while adapting in the face of climate change,” said Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Board President of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. “Positioning the Ohio academic library community as leaders in this conversation will allow them to follow the lead of hundreds of other libraries in our program, a strong move to ensure libraries contribute to their community’s resilience and remain relevant and responsive institutions.”

Through this partnership, ALAO members will join a nationwide community of practice who are using SLI-curated tools to uncover ways that their libraries and communities can understand, adapt to, and help lessen the effects of climate change. 

These tools include hundreds of best practices proven by peers, access to an archive of professional development focused on the core value of sustainability, program examples, a vetted vendor list, and a custom CO2 calculator to help members estimate their current institutional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and measure reductions, and custom publicity pieces to help libraries tell their sustainability story.

“ALAO is looking forward to collaborating with the SLI to promote professional development opportunities and to support our members across Ohio to implement meaningful, environmentally sustainable changes within their home institutions,” said ALAO President Paul Campbell. “Some of our successes have included limiting the use of printed handouts at our conference, reducing or eliminating conference swag, and increasing the number of virtual professional development opportunities. However, the ALAO Board recognizes that there is still more work to be done to protect Ohio’s environment for future generations. We are particularly interested in expanding our sustainability mindset beyond our association and into the day-to-day work of our membership.”

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative’s Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP) — available to public libraries, academic libraries, library systems, and school librarians — provides libraries with a reliable course of action to enhance library leadership and demonstrate commitment to environmental stewardship, economic feasibility, and social equity. The certification program guides participants to evaluate their decision-making philosophies, build stronger connections within their community, and consider the lasting impacts of their action for their service area.

Members of the Academic Library Association of Ohio who opt-in via the SLI website will receive one free year of annual membership to the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and a 20% discount on the award-winning Sustainable Library Certification Program. Cohorts of five or more libraries will receive a 25% discount on certification, supporting the principle that there is power in collective action.

Learn more with our ALAO Partnership Dashboard or by reaching out to sliadmin@suffolknet.org. 

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

Academic Library Association of Ohio
The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) exists to develop, promote, and improve library and information services in Ohio’s higher education community, to advance the interests of academic librarianship and the personnel of academic libraries, and to provide leadership and advocacy for the educational and policy concerns of the academic library community in Ohio. ALAO strives to adopt environmentally sustainable practices in all areas of the association. ALAO is a chapter of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) and generally ascribes to the ACRL’s Strategic Plan for Excellence.