There is a long tradition of libraries welcoming into their facilities people who need a warm place for work, leisure, and to stay warm during cold months. As extreme heat events become more common in the northeast, libraries have also begun to explore how to meet the needs of people who require shelter from heat.

Join us Tuesday, May 6, 2025, from 1:00-2:30pm, for the next installment in the Northeast Summit on Climate Adaptation for Library Facilities webinar series: Libraries as Cooling Centers: Every Library Can Be One!

The session will begin with a brief overview of what the term cooling center means. You may be surprised to find that your library is one, even if you weren’t using that term! This will be followed by keynote speaker Jared Ulmer, Climate & Health Program Manager at the Vermont Department of Health. He will discuss heat risks, how they are changing, who is most affected, and some common challenges libraries encounter when they step into this work. How does this fit into the library’s existing services? Are expanded staff or volunteer hours needed? How do people find out where cooling centers are, and do people actually use them? How do they get to them in rural areas without a lot of public transportation?

The session will close with a panel discussion featuring two librarians who are doing this work but in very different ways and settings and Smithfield (RI) Director of Emergency Management and Community Outreach Todd Manni to discuss a mini-grant the agency received to purchase equipment to establish an emergency portable cooling center and misting tent.

Not every library is air-conditioned or will be able to implement all of the ideas shared, but every library can do something to meet this increasing need in their community!

This event is part of the Northeast Summit on Climate Adaptation for Library Facilities, a collaboration of the State Libraries from Maine to Maryland. This webinar was planned by the Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services and the Vermont Department of Libraries.

Note: The Zoom link to join the webinar will be in reminder email sent one day prior to event.

If any reasonable accommodation is needed to ensure equal access or participation, contact the Office of Library and Information Services at (401) 574-9300 not less than three (3) business days in advance of the meeting or program date. More advanced notice is highly advisable.