Climate Action policy

Our overarching commitment for the duration of the policy is in the areas of:

● Compliance with environmental legislation relevant to the maintenance of heritage sites and the application of library standards of best practice
● Conservation of energy, water, and other resources
● Waste and materials management through a policy of refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle
● Encouraging staff through guidelines and training, to work in an environmentally responsible manner
● Prioritising environmental and ethical considerations when choosing suppliers and services

This policy is structured across four key areas outlined in NIVAL’s Strategy Statement 2020-25 Strengthening Relationships | Building Trust. The policy is specific to the environment of a working library and compliments the Climate Action Roadmap of NCAD. We have begun to identify measures and practices that contribute to the delivery of a green library service. We will proceed to map out these measures in two phases over a five year period with a scheduled review midway through 2027 and planning for a refreshed policy in late 2029.

In the year ahead we will initiate activities under the four pillars: the built environment, operational practices, collection management and smart technologies. To date, a number of impactful actions have been initiated: Implementation of energy-saving technologies such as LED lighting with movement sensors; retro-fitting of airtight external doors to reduce heating and cooling energy consumption; installation of temperature and humidity monitoring systems; paper recycling, double sided printing, ink cartridge recycling; greening of common areas.

The Built Environment

Heritage architecture and adaptation

The Clock Building which houses NIVAL dates from the 1800’s and is classed as a ‘heritage’ asset. Initiatives to decarbonise and improve the energy efficiency of the building will form part of the overall plan for maintenance and upgrading developed by NCAD. The preservation needs of these older structures must be balanced against the requirement to meet current sustainability goals.

The College has appointed a Climate Action and Sustainability Champion (CASC) at a senior management level, reflecting the college’s commitment to sustainability as a core priority. The CASC will work closely with both the College Management Team and the Board of Directors, ensuring that climate action and sustainability initiatives are embedded in the decision-making processes at the highest levels of governance. The Champion is responsible for leading the development and implementation of sustainability strategies, fostering a culture of environmental responsibility across the college, and coordinating efforts to meet the long-term sustainability goals. The CASC is supported by the Energy Performance Officer role held by the Facilities Manager, who files necessary reports with the SEAI M&R system and oversees the colleges’ energy management practices.

Operational Practices

Preservation and Custodianship

We have a duty of care to the collections placed in our trust. That duty is two-fold: to ensure physical safety in a stable environment and to guarantee availability of access to future generations. We will continue to use acid-free and recyclable materials for storage, such as archival-quality boxes, folders, and file sleeves, which are also biodegradable. Storage in appropriate environmental conditions is essential to facilitate longevity. Both working and storage environments continue to be monitored for safety and energy efficiency.

Collection Management

Material legacy and the digital landscape

Green library collection management focuses on curating, preserving, and maintaining library resources in an environmentally sustainable way. This approach includes adopting practices such as sustainable acquisition policies and promoting the recycling of materials. We will prioritise the capture of digital information to reduce paper consumption and support best practice by our users by encouraging the creation of digital surrogates or access copies of physical materials, reducing the need to duplicate materials physically.

Smart Technologies

Green procurement and resource management

NIVAL is one of a small number of organisations responsible for the preservation of the record of Ireland’s creative practice through the collection of self-generated arts documentation. As such, the sustainability of material is of primary concern. Several actions will support conscientious engagement in this area: a sustainable procurement policy that prioritizes environmentally-friendly products and services; a data usage plan to monitor and reduce our digital footprint; the new website, supported by an ethical green hosting service. A representative of NIVAL contributes to the activities of the NCAD Green Team.

DEVELOPMENT AREA	GOAL	ACTION
The Built Environment	Energy efficiency	Energy audit; LED lighting with sensors, airtight external doors
	Embrace the built heritage	Consultation with conservation architect concerning proposed enhancements and improvements
	Support a healthy environment	Use non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning products and materials
Operational Practices	Encourage best practice	Provide staff with training in the areas of Climate Action, Sustainability and Biodiversity
	Participation	Support the Green Team in the creation of a materials library for the donation and re-use of materials on the NCAD campus
	Education	Foreground the role of contemporary artists in interrogating the climate crisis by developing a suite of research guides to the library’s holdings for public use
	Safeguarding and access	Commission a review of NIVAL’s internal disaster preparedness plans
Collection Management	Communication	Provide clear signage on recycling options within library facilities
	Material consumption and waste reduction	Move to online news media and e-publications; Encourage digital note-taking and image capture as central to Reading Room protocol
Smart Technologies	Monitor digital footprint	Draft and implement a set of data and device usage guidelines for the reduction of electricity supply and digital storage
	Increase energy efficiency	Conduct an audit of imaging and data storage equipment and upgrade

This policy will be reviewed biennially and updated as necessary to reflect progress and new initiatives in sustainability.