Community Engagement | Libraries and Positive Climate Action

This event, originally titled 'Libraries and Positive Climate Action: Community Engagement', took place on 4 October 2023. The information below is correct as of the publication date.

International library leaders discuss the role of public engagement in mobilising communities for climate action.

The British Library is hosting a series of webinars focused on libraries and the climate crisis. The aim of the series is to bring together international library leaders to share their different responses to the climate emergency.

The first webinar of the series ‘Libraries and positive climate action: community engagement’ focuses on the role that libraries are playing in inspiring positive climate action through community engagement. Libraries are tried and tested spaces located at the heart of local communities, and as such have demonstrated their unique power in the community through various climate initiatives, some of which we will hear about during this event.

Discover more of our climate webinar series at our playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcM3hEgp2RYA

Understand more about the British Library's work on sustainability and climate change by visiting our website: https://www.bl.uk/about/sustainability

The speakers for this event include:

Damilare Oyedele is an Advocate and Librarypreneur as well as the Co-founder and Chief Executive of the Library Aid Africa. Damilare has a keen interest in library development programs in Sub-Saharan African Countries around SDGs, capacity development of emerging library leaders, Library Connectivity, Innovative design for libraries, library advocacy, policy, and research.

Diana Lee has over 20 years of experience at Toronto Public Library and is the Senior Services Specialist for Programs & Events at Toronto Public Library. In this role, she oversees various system-wide programs for adults, such as Personal Finance, Small Business, and TPL's environmental program series, Our Fragile Planet. With a focus on environmental protection and conservation, this series also includes the work of the Environmentalist in Residence. Diana is always excited to share her knowledge of programs. She's also an outdoor enthusiast, stand-up paddleboarding instructor and a lifelong learner.

Adele Karwat is Service Manager for Libraries and Archives at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and has worked in public libraries for over 25 years in a number of roles including Children’s and Schools Librarian, Performance and Service Development Manager and Customer Services lead. Adele is passionate about the climate change and using libraries to support environmental understanding and action. Adele is also the Chair of Cherry Tree Library Community Apiary.

Ed Finn is the founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University where he is an associate professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering. He also serves as the academic director of Future Tense, a partnership between ASU, New America and Slate Magazine, and a co-director of Emerge, an annual festival of art, ideas and the future. Ed’s research and teaching explore the workings of imagination, digital culture, creative collaboration, and the intersection of the humanities, arts and sciences. He is the author of What Algorithms Want: Imagination in the Age of Computing (MIT Press, spring 2017) and co-editor of Future Tense Fiction (Unnamed Press, 2019), Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers and Creators of All Kinds (MIT Press, 2017) and Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future (William Morrow, 2014), among other books.

The session is chaired by Maja Maricevic, Chair of the UK Green Libraries Partnership. Maja Maricevic is Director of Science and Innovation at the British Library. Maja is particularly interested in the big challenges of our time, such as the continuing digital transformation and climate change. Maja chairs the UK Green Libraries Campaign, a partnership of UK libraries working towards a better future for planet and people. Maja is an Advisory Board Member for the UK Research and Innovation programme Building a Greener Future. She is also a Board member of London’s Knowledge Quarter. She has previously worked in universities, government departments and as a professional consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers.