It sounds like “the future” – Libraries4Future. But what exactly do we, as library staff, associate with that? What does“for the future”stand for? A good, just, healthy, and tolerant society of the future that ensures this unique Earth remains habitable. (Spoiler: Instead of calling your sustainability activities “environmental and climate protection,” try calling them “measures to preserve the habitability of our planet!”)
Does this also resonate with those who are tired of hearing the term “climate protection”? Does it speak more to those who read every day in their media bubble: “It’s really not that bad, is it?” Or is it those who think: Yes, our Earth must remain habitable; I have children and grandchildren, and I do care about the further consequences for this planet if we continue as we have been?
When was the last time you thought about the future of your library? Over the next 10 or 15 years. What ideas and visions did you have about what the library landscape would look like in 2040? Have educational and cultural institutions managed to establish a fourth dimension of sustainability—the culture of sustainability? In people’s minds, in educational goals, in the day-to-day work that libraries do? Has a “status quo” been reached where every library, in collaboration with the administration, the municipality, and the city, no longer has to struggle with resource conservation, green energy, and energy-efficient buildings? Will the most sustainable libraries be reimagined from existing building infrastructure, without sealing off additional areas with concrete?
Can we shape library work in the future in such a way that visitors see us as trendsetters? If trends involve broad-based social changes and have a wide reach with measurable impact, shaping sustainable developments for the future…wouldn’t that bea fitting“for the future” scenario for libraries?
We must shape the future we want ourselves. Together. Together with the coalitions that are courageously, tirelessly, creatively, and passionately committed to ensuring that progress has been made—progress that will give us the courage to keep fighting for“for future,” because so much is going in the wrong direction.
2025 is the year in which the International Court of Justice unequivocally declares that an intact, healthy environment is a human right. This is a first, and it should and must empower civil society actors to do everything in their power to combat the effects of climate change and counter social inequalities and societal divisions. To ensure that there is no place for hate, incitement, and right-wing populism. To ensure that the “good life for all” does not remain a utopia.
Thinking about the future must translate into action: Think ahead, take the time to work on this creatively, with motivation and focus, to foster a cultural shift within your educational institution. Make this part of your routine: “Thinking about the future—from us to you” – every month, with library users, with your team, with decision-makers. It will take you further than constantly despairing over hurdles and resistance; we need more vision!
The best way to tap into that collective energy is on September 20, 2025: at the nationwide climate strike. It’s always about“for future,” and it feels good to feel that energy there.
Janet Wagner, co-founder ofLibraries4Future,” August 2025
