1.10. Risk, adaptation and resilience
Managing risk is vital for our collection, business continuity and revenue. Sustainability and
climate change is a broad topic, and within it are multiple risks. For example:
•
reputational risks if the Library is not seen to be responding with urgency, misses
mandated targets, or is seen to ‘greenwash’
•
the strategic risk that we are not fully delivering our six purposes, if we do not work to
increase climate literacy, climate research, and support green businesses
•
financial risks if we move too fast to adopt new technologies, the higher cost of
electricity compared to gas, and the cost of future offsetting (if required). This sits
alongside financial opportunities through funds like the Public Sector
Decarbonisation Fund plus the opportunity to save money on our energy bills
•
risks to our buildings and collection from a changing climate, such as water
ingress from heavy rain and pest infestation from warmer temperatures. As well as our
own operations, these risks can affect our communities and we can play a part in
mitigating them; offering a warm space in cold winters and a cool space in hot
summers.
These are managed through our existing risk management framework. There are two specific
risks (EST0008 on carbon reduction and EST0013 on climate change) plus part of a strategic
infrastructure risk (SR0006). As with all risks, if escalated because they are outside of acceptable
parameters, they are reported to the Audit and Risk Group and, if required, to the Audit
Committee.
However, we know this is an area where more work is needed. The two risks above will be
reviewed in time for the 2025/6 financial year, to ensure they fully cover:
•
climate mitigation (playing our part to tackle climate change, by implementing the actions
supporting this strategy and cutting our emissions)
•
climate adaptation (ensuring our building and operations are resilient against more
extreme storms, higher rainfall and flash flooding, hotter summers leading to overheating,
new moulds and pests, and local infrastructure failures).
From our 2023/4 accounts onwards, we are increasingly required to report against the Taskforce
on Climate-related Risk Disclosures requirements.
Between 2024-2030 our aims are to:
•
detail the climate change impacts and opportunities across our estates, operations
and collection from a changing climate, then update the relevant risks on our 4Risk
system (mitigation and adaptation, including identifying and implementing new actions
where the risks are out of tolerance), and create a Climate Change Adaptation Plan
•
review and update our Business Continuity Plans, Planned Maintenance
Schedules and Preventative Conservation Plans in light of the above
•
[See 1.3] design for climate resilience in our new spaces, considering potential
climate change scenarios.
Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy_2024_Final Issued.docx 33
Priority 2: Our purposes Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy_2024_Final Issued.docx 34
Priority 2. Our purposes We have six well-established purposes: custodianship, research, business, culture, learning and international. Our strategy, Knowledge Matters, sets out these purposes and the enabling priorities, including sustainability, which cut across and support them: Our purposes: Custodianship Research Culture Learning Business International Cross-cutting themes which support and enable the purposes People Access, engagement and inclusion Digital transformation and technology Finance, commercial services and fundraising Capital projects and estates Sustainability How sustainability supports our purposes “[our priority is to] collaborate with people to open up the collection in new and interesting ways, to support work on solutions to the environmental challenges we face – from climate research to enabling sustainable business and enterprise, and engaging people through culture and learning, to increasing climate literacy and visibility of climate science.” Knowledge Matters, 2023 This section shows the ways in which sustainability supports our purposes. Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy_2024_Final Issued.docx 35
2.1. Custodianship and research: Opening up the collection in new and interesting ways, including supporting climate research Why our collection matters Our collection can inspire and inform environmental action in many and varied ways, across the breadth of our users. Covering contemporary and historical material from across the world, in many formats, people can access a variety of sources to explore their sustainability-related questions. This might include sounds of nature, including extinct species, in our sound recordings; life stories of climate scientists from our oral history recordings; historic maps showing changing coastlines and flood plains; rainfall records from the India Office Archives and Records; personal archives of activists; the sustainability pledges of political parties and actions of councils through time, as preserved in the UK web archive; and representation of sustainability-related issues on stamps, to name just a few. This is of course in addition to the many academic papers and books, newspaper and magazine articles and novels which cover sustainability issues. Studying historical events, such as past climate challenges and societal responses, can provide valuable insights into humanity’s resilience in the face of current climate challenges. Opening up our collection in new and interesting ways Given the multiple ways our collection and content can be used, it is unlikely that any one researcher will know to make best use of this for their purposes and needs, and we need to find ways to open up the collection so it can be used now, and in the future, to the benefit of all. The broad scope of the collection also means that it can be used by many types of people with different goals, from climate scientists looking for the latest research, visual artists, musicians or poets looking for inspiration, climate activists looking for information, or citizens looking to delve deeper into the background around one of the key issues of our time. Our approach to opening up the collection is three-fold: • understanding the needs of our user communities, including those people who could benefit from using our material but do not yet do so • ensuring that we share the most relevant materials for their needs through information literacy activities • ensuring that our collection and content responds to the changing needs of users. Embedding sustainability in our content strategy Our content strategy for contemporary published content governs decisions about what we collect, why and for whom. The overarching priority is to provide access to information. This can be done in many ways, some of which have a better sustainability impact than others. Guiding Principle 5 of the content strategy states that decisions about archival intent (what we hold and preserve permanently) will be based on criteria that include sustainability and life cycle costs. This means that beyond Legal Deposit material, which we have to hold and preserve in perpetuity by law, we can make choices informed by the sustainability impact of each option. Alongside this the content strategy drives usage of the collection by making usage an explicit part of the evidence by which we assess the success of our activities. The principles, therefore, guide decisions towards providing the widest possible access, and using methods that achieve this result in the most efficient and sustainable ways possible. The principles also prevent duplication Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy_2024_Final Issued.docx 36
of content and effort internally and encourage collaboration with external bodies to avoid duplication. Supporting climate research Our collection and expertise can significantly contribute to both supporting researchers in their continuing work in climate science, as well as providing a space where researchers, communities, industry, policy makers and other key stakeholders can come together to discuss and advance our journey towards best solution for our planet and people. This collaborative work will extend to both specialist and non-specialist researchers, fostering an environment of inclusivity and knowledge-sharing across disciplines. By expanding our collection areas, we will deepen our impact and foster greater understanding of the action required. We will prioritise supporting climate scientists and researchers by providing them access to our collection. We will actively engage with researchers to develop resources that enhance accessibility and utilise the range of our collection. This collaborative approach not only enhances our collection but also serves to increase staff expertise in climate research, while attracting funding to further our sustainability goals. We will support the full cycle of climate research, especially ensuring that we are contributing to impact and dissemination of climate science by widening its reach, and fostering collaborative interdisciplinary research, idea sharing, open dialogue and the exploration of different viewpoints. Making our own research sustainable We will ensure the sustainability of research processes and infrastructures by embedding climate- friendly practices into our own research and leadership endeavours. This involves advocating for minimal computing on research projects, promoting the reuse of data and research infrastructures, and championing sustainability principles at every level of our organisation. Distinct from our support for climate scientists and researchers, this aspect of our strategy focuses on the sustainability of research processes themselves. By adopting innovative approaches and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility, we will contribute to the long term sustainability of research practices while advancing our collective understanding of pressing global challenges. Between 2024–2030 our aims are to: • fundraise for a Climate Change curator and then write and implement a content development plan for climate change and sustainability that reflects user and community needs and Content Strategy Guiding Principles, with actions to improve the range we collect (and connect out to) in the in the areas of climate change and sustainability • design and conduct user and community research to understand the needs of our audiences in the areas of sustainability and climate change • create new sustainability-focused collection resources for users and communities, to help raise awareness of relevant materials held in our collection • embed sustainable research practices and create new knowledge using our collection by undertaking collaborative research (both Library-sponsored research, such as PhD studentships and staff-led projects, and work with external research bodies and universities). Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy_2024_Final Issued.docx 37
2.2. Public engagement: Engaging people through culture and learning, including increasing climate literacy and the visibility of climate science Our wide and varied programme of culture and learning Our public engagement programme is well placed to draw from our rich historical and contemporary collections to inform, inspire and challenge audiences, and ourselves, on the topic of sustainability. Our work reaches people of all ages, from families to older people. We have a special emphasis on centering the voices of children and young people, often from local communities, in line with the emphasis of the Green Libraries Manifesto (Appendix 2). We programme not only at our site in London, but also through touring and partnership events across the UK and internationally. Our online audiences for our digital learning resources exceed 10 million unique users every year. We run our own events, but also join in as one part of larger events reaching a wider audience, for example running a successful families’ day as part of Earth Fest in April 2024. Green Libraries Week, run by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), will be a key point in our events calendar each year. Centering sustainability in our cultural programme In recent years we have tried to centre sustainability in our work, both significantly increasing the reuse and recycling of physical materials in the production of our exhibitions [see section 1.7] and in the programme’s themes, including exhibitions such as Animals: Arts, Science, and Sound that addressed debates around conservation, climate change and extinction. As part of our exhibition selection process, we will review the opportunities for all exhibitions to communicate messages on sustainability and climate change; for some this will be a major theme, for others a minor one, and all exhibitions will include a sustainably statement which explains what we have done to reduce the impact of the exhibition itself. Working with our users and communities to increase climate literacy Information literacy is a key activity for libraries and a priority in our strategy, Knowledge Matters. By providing people with access to information and the skills to critically evaluate the information they find, we will empower people to learn more about climate change and make their own informed decisions about the actions they might choose to take about it. Work on sustainability will make a powerful pilot of the new ways of working set out in our Information Literacy Strategy. This will include co-creating with our users and communities new activities that develop climate literacy skills. Impact assessment will be key; for example, do participants make changes in their lives to reduce their carbon footprint that could be attributed to self-directed learning stimulated by attending a climate literacy workshop. One key audience is the education sector. We will expand upon our current schools programme, supporting anticipated changes in the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1-4 science and geography. Increasing the visibility of climate science Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy_2024_Final Issued.docx 38