Paperwaste debuts at VALE Conference
Posted by Diana on January 21, 2008
On January 9, 2008, we trekked to Pisquataway, NJ [which is not spelled "Piscataway," as I originally thought] to participate in the poster session at the VALE (Virtual Academic Library Environment) Conference at Rutgers University. Our poster was entitled: Waste Not, Want Not: Partnering for Resource Waste Reduction at Rider University Libraries.
(the infamous “poster.”)
We felt that the session was met with a great deal of positive feedback. Pat Dawson says, “The subject of the poster session seemed to hit hot buttons, that many other libraries are in the same boat, and folks expressed interest in our efforts.” Many schools are facing the same issues involving the abuse of free printing and the inevitable amount of wonton waste
(not this kind of wonton).
that accompanies it, as well as suspicion as to whether or not the paper is actually being recycled. Many people asked for simple changes they could implement that would at least be a start in the right direction, and we told them about the efforts our staff was making in the office (reusing bibliographic print-outs, cutting scrap paper into smaller pieces to keep next to the computers, etc.) and encouraging students to be responsible and aware of their paper usage. Most participants urged us to keep pushing for a double-sided printer and copier as it has helped alleviate a lot of their problems in this area.
Sustainability Coordination Manager Diana Kayes agreed that the poster session was a very positive experience. Kayes says, “It put the word out about Rider and offered other schools ideas for what they could be doing, no matter how the small the step.”
VALE website: http://www.valenj.org/
VALE Users Conference blog: http://valenews.wordpress.com/
–> check out “The Library in the Academic Enterprise: Toward a Sustainable Software Ecosystem.”
