Libraries and Librarians as Coomunity Resources

[Fred Stoss <fstoss@acsu.buffaloe.edu>]

The American Library Association's Libraries Build Sustainable Communities Web site, http://www.ala.org/sustainablecommunities, has a number of ways libraries, and public libraries and public library systems can be used as facilities, facilitators, repositories, catalysts for dialogues, forums for action.

The EPA's National Library Network, composed of it EPA Headquarters Information Center and the Information Centers/Libraries of the 10 EPA Regions and other EPA Libraries, information dockets, and clearinghouses works quite closely with the American Library Association and the Special Libraries Association as exhibitors at ALA and SLA Annual Meetings (just as specific environmental quality offices of EPA exhibit at other professional society and association meetings, e.g., Air & Waste Management Association). The EPA Librarians, the few employed by EPA and those other contract librarians working in EPA libraries and information centers are frequent speakers at ALA and SLA Annual Meetings (several of them are members of ALA and SLA). The EPA Libraries have been gracious hosts for tours, demo, presentations at Headquarters and Regional Libraries when ALA and SLA hold their meetings in these cities.

Other offices of the EPA should work more closely with the EPA Libraries and Librarians, using their existing networking and outreach to supplement EPA Office iniatives and programs. Since the EMPACT program was crated, I have touted the EMAPCT grants as outstanding opportunites for public and nonprofit special libraries to "sit at the table" with the county and municipal agencies submitting EMPACT grants. I have been on discussion panels with EPA Librarians stating this, I have reveiwed EMPACT proposals, I have written about the tremendous potential for libraries and librarian involvement with the EMPACT program.

EPA Libraries are already interacting with academic, public, school, and special libraries and participating in a wide range of activities in professional library associations. Their expertise needs to exploted by other parts of the EPA.

Fred Stoss