What Sustainable Libraries Initiative does

Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) is a US-based nonprofit organization founded in 2019 and headquartered in Bellport, New York, that operates the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP) — a structured framework built on the triple bottom line of environmental soundness, social equity, and economic feasibility. SLI serves public, small, and rural libraries across the United States, guiding library leaders through a codified path to sustainability certification and supplementing that curriculum with a monthly virtual meetup series (Indoor Spaces, Outdoor Spaces, Transportation, Energy, Water, Materials & Waste), topical webinars, and a National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries document.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led: it cultivates a community of practice through webinars, meetups, a monthly newsletter, and direct membership engagement, with distribution amplified by referral partnerships with more than a dozen state library associations (NJ, NY, WI, DE, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, VT, VA, and others) and national bodies including the American Library Association, the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, and the Association of Research Libraries. SLI is hosted administratively by the Suffolk Cooperative Library System and operates with a 5-person team.

The revenue model is membership-dues based with subscription-style annual renewals and supplementary donations processed through a third-party platform (Qgiv); pricing is not publicly disclosed. With one named certified library (Maplewood Memorial Library, the first in New Jersey, certified July 1, 2026) and a 40-participant Community Resilience pilot for small and rural libraries announced in June 2026, SLI is in an early scale phase, growing primarily via state-level partnerships and incremental certifications rather than software-driven distribution.

Name

Sustainable Libraries Initiative

Legal name

Sustainable Libraries Initiative

Website

https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative is a US nonprofit that operates the Sustainable Library Certification Program and a community of practice, serving public, small, and rural libraries with a triple-bottom-line sustainability framework, virtual meetups, and webinars distributed via state library association partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Library Sustainability Certification

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

Keywords

• Library sustainability certification
• Community resilience training
• Nonprofit library services
• Environmental stewardship programs
• Climate action strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for library professionals and institutions seeking to participate in the SLI community of practice and access the Sustainable Library Certification Program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative delivers the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP), a structured certification framework that guides library leaders through environmental, social, and economic sustainability practices. The program is delivered alongside a community of practice comprising monthly virtual meetups, introductory and topical webinars, and a monthly newsletter. Supporting paid and free deliverables include the National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries document and the Community Resilience through Small & Rural Libraries pilot training program (40 participants).

Product overview

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) offers a membership-based certification and community of practice program rather than a traditional software product. The core offering is the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP), which guides libraries through a framework for environmental, social, and economic sustainability. SLI supplements this with monthly meetup series, educational webinars, and the National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries. A pilot program for small and rural libraries (Community Resilience through Small & Rural Libraries) was recently launched with 40 selected participants. The organization provides membership benefits including newsletters and access to a community of practice for library leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sustainable Library Certification Program: A certification program for libraries focusing on environmental soundness, social equity, and economic feasibility.

Products and services

• Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP) A comprehensive certification program that guides library leaders through a structured path to co-create environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically feasible libraries and communities. The program covers topics including indoor spaces, outdoor spaces, transportation, energy, water, and materials and waste, and is targeted at public libraries and library leaders seeking formal sustainability credentials.
• Membership Program An annual membership program for library leaders and institutions that unlocks access to the Sustainable Library Certification Program, the community of practice, monthly meetups, webinars, and resources. Discounted pricing is available for members of SLI's partner associations.
• National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries A downloadable strategic document that provides librarians with a framework and guidance for climate action, available from the SLI website.
• Community Resilience through Small & Rural Libraries: Building Partnerships for Impact (Pilot Training) A pilot training program designed to build community resilience capacity in small and rural libraries through partnership development. The first cohort selected 40 participants, in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maplewood Memorial Library became the first public library in New Jersey to achieve Sustainable Library Certification

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Wisconsin Library AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Strategic partnership to cultivate library leadership for community resilience in Wisconsin. Joint initiative announced May 1, 2026.
• American Library AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with the national American Library Association organization, with joint programming through SustainRT (ALA's sustainability round table).
• The Association for Rural & Small LibrariescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting small and rural libraries with sustainability initiatives and the Community Resilience pilot program.
• Association of Research LibrariesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with ARL to promote sustainability in research libraries.
• CCP SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of SLI events and initiatives.
• New Jersey Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState partnership supporting New Jersey libraries, including the first NJ certification (Maplewood Memorial Library).
• New York Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState partnership in New York with tagline 'The Voice of the Library Community'.
• Delaware Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState library association partnership in Delaware.
• Iowa Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState library association partnership in Iowa.
• Maine Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState library association partnership in Maine.
• Maryland Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState library association partnership in Maryland.
• Massachusetts Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState library association partnership in Massachusetts.
• Michigan Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState library association partnership in Michigan.
• Vermont Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState library association partnership in Vermont.
• Virginia Library AssociationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState library association partnership in Virginia.
• Suffolk Cooperative Library SystemcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHost organization providing administrative support; located in Bellport, NY.
• ShareableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented webinar on 'What if Everything was Shareable?' featuring Tom Llewellyn of Shareable. Joint educational content on sharing ecosystems for libraries.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA): Membership association of state library agencies, providing leadership and advocacy for state-level library services. Comparable as a national membership body for the public library sector, serving institutional members with professional development and convening functions similar to SLI's community of practice.
• WebJunction (OCLC program): Online learning community for library professionals, operated by OCLC, providing webinars, courses, and resources. Directly comparable to SLI's educational programming and community-of-practice model, though broader in scope (general library professional development rather than sustainability-specific).
• EveryLibrary: Nonprofit political action committee and advocacy organization supporting public libraries across the US. Comparable as a national nonprofit serving public libraries through member engagement and program offerings, with overlap in target audience (library leaders and trustees) and US geographic scope.
• Libraries Without Borders: International nonprofit that works to expand library access and services through innovative programs. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit developing structured programs and frameworks for libraries, with similar member/community engagement model though operating at a larger international scale.
• Urban Libraries Council: Nonprofit membership organization serving public library leaders with programs, advocacy, and resources. Directly comparable to SLI in serving as a professional community and capacity-building body for public library leadership, though focused on broader urban library issues rather than sustainability certification.
• Sustainable Jersey: Nonprofit certification program for municipalities in New Jersey pursuing sustainability actions. Highly comparable in operating a tiered certification framework, providing resources/training to participants, and partnering with state-level organizations to drive participation across institutions.

Broad incumbents

• B Lab (B Corporation Certification): Global nonprofit administering the B Corp certification for businesses meeting social and environmental performance standards. Comparable business model (third-party sustainability certification, community of practice, mission-driven nonprofit) applied to businesses rather than libraries; demonstrates how a sustainability certification can scale.
• Public Library Association (PLA): Membership division of the American Library Association serving public libraries with continuing education, publications, and advocacy. Comparable as a national professional development and capacity-building body for public libraries, with much broader scope and resources than SLI but similar target audience.
• Green Business Certification Inc. Nonprofit organization administering sustainability certifications including TRUE Zero Waste. Comparable as a nonprofit sustainability certification body, with a similar revenue model (certification fees plus member engagement), though serving commercial and institutional clients broadly.
• U.S. Green Building Council (LEED): Large established nonprofit operating the LEED sustainability certification for buildings. Comparable as a sustainability certification body operating on a member-driven model, though focused on buildings broadly rather than library-specific frameworks; could expand into library sustainability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tweet
• Facebookfacebook.com/share.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-libraries-initiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Libraries Initiative