Blue Marble Librarians: Libraries Helping Their Communities Prepare for Extreme Weather and Foster Socially and Ecologically Conscious Culture

Join us for a talk with four leading members of the Blue Marble Librarians, a Massachusetts based group of librarians focused on sustainability, environmental education, and extreme weather preparedness. Learn about the history of the group, their involvement with the Boston-based nonprofit, Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), CREW Climate Hubs, the annual Climate Prep Week, and how to get involved with these environmental initiatives. They will also cover the impacts that climate change has on mental health. Participants will come away with concrete examples of what they can do at their own libraries to support sustainable programing, climate education and mental health resilience as well as ways to get involved with nonprofits doing similar work.

Panel Participants

• Michelle Eberle, Massachusetts Library System
• Madeleine Charney, UMass Amherst Libraries
• Gabrielle Griffis, Brewster Ladies’ Library
• Corey Farrenkopf, Eastham Public Library

About the Speakers

Michelle Eberle is a Consultant for the Massachusetts Library System (MLS), a non-profit which fosters innovation, communication, and collaboration among libraries of all types. Her specializations include strategic planning consultation, providing professional development, and coordinating statewide public health and mental health partnerships. Serving as one of the leaders of the Blue Marble Librarians has been a great joy of her work at MLS.

Madeleine Charney is a librarian at the UMass Amherst Libraries. Her subject areas center on the built/natural environment and working landscapes. Her climate resilience activism includes learning and teaching practices (e.g. Council circle) to weave strong social fabric so we may face the challenges ahead with kindness and creativity. Her favorite pastime lately is growing and sharing medicinal herbs. She is grateful to all the librarians who make up the vibrant network that is Blue Marble Librarians! 

Gabrielle Griffis works as a youth services librarian at Brewster Ladies' Library. She has been coordinating and advocating for Repair Events in libraries since 2018 as well as socially and environmentally just communities since 2016. Her writing on this topic appears in Repair Revolution: How Fixers are Transforming Our Throwaway Culture, Libraries and Sustainability: Programs and Practices for Community Impact, 25 Ready-to-Use Sustainable Living Library Programs, as well as How Public Libraries Build Sustainable Communities in the 21st Century.  She has been a leading member of the Blue Marble Librarians since 2019 and enjoys managing their social media and blog.

Corey Farrenkopf is a librarian and writer living on Cape Cod. He is a Staff Librarian at Eastham Public Library, a member of the Blue Marble Librarians, and a CREW Climate Hub Advisor. His short stories have been published in numerous venues including Smokelong Quarterly, Catapult, The Southwest Review, Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Bourbon Penn, and elsewhere. His debut novel, Living in Cemeteries, will be released from JournalStone Publishing in April of 2024. To learn more, follow him on twitter @CoreyFarrenkopf on TikTok at @CoreyFarrenkopf or on the web at CoreyFarrenkopf.com.

This presentation addresses the NNLM initiative of environmental determinants of health and library workforce development by providing information on partnerships, resources and services to support climate change literate and adaptive communities and libraries. This class is for educational and informational purposes in alignment with NNLM goals and does not offer medical advice. By registering for this class, you are agreeing to the NNLM Code of Conduct.

This webinar series includes an accompanying guide. Each session has its own tab with information about the presenter(s) and related resources to the presentation topic.