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SustainRT Citation for Wellness in the Workplace

About the Award

In recognition of the fact that library staff are our greatest asset in building and supporting sustainable libraries and communities, the ¾«¶«´«Ã½Sustainability Roundtable (SustainRT) is recognizing libraries that go above and beyond in meeting the wellness needs of their staff with the SustainRT Citation for Wellness in the Workplace. All ¾«¶«´«Ã½members are invited to nominate any library or organization whose efforts to meet the needs of their staff in the areas of continuing education and creating a positive work environment have advanced sustainability and encouraged wellness. This may include wellness initiatives for unions, gender equity, pay equity, and other activities designed to improve the salaries and status of library professionals.

The SustainRT’s Citation for Wellness in the Workplace carries on the work begun by ¾«¶«´«Ã½Past-President Loida Garcia-Febo with her Presidential Citation for Wellness in the Workplace and her commitment to the wellness of library workers. Garcia-Febo says, “As a woman with deep interests in mental and physical health, and the well-being of library workers, wellness is of utmost importance to me. Libraries have the power to help transform lives through efforts promoting wellness. I hope this citation motivates libraries everywhere to support the overall well-being of their staff.”

Call For Nominations

SustainRT will being accepting nominations for the 2025 Citation for Wellness in the Workplace in November 2024.

All ¾«¶«´«Ã½members are invited to nominate any library or organization that has made efforts to meet the needs of their staff in the areas of continuing education, wellness, positive work environment, unions, salaries, gender equity, pay equity initiatives, and other activities designed to improve the salaries and status of librarians and other library workers.

Citation for Wellness in the Workplace Winners

2024 Kent County Public Library

Kent County Public Library is being celebrated for its commitment to wellness as a strategic priority, earning the 2024 Citation for Wellness in the Workplace. Over the past three years, the Kent County Public Library has increased its staff levels, ensured increasing compensation, and prioritized team building at the organizational level. In considering the holistic well-being of their staff, they have added more personal leave and leave for professional development, added more leave use categories, implemented initiatives like “Early Release Fridays” during the summer, and developed a telework policy. The intentional initiatives and policies supported by their leadership in recent years have improved staff’s work-life balance and encouraged professional development. These developments and more showcase the Kent County Public Library’s enduring dedication to the overall well-being of its employees. SustainRT acknowledges the profound impact of integrating wellness practices into policy and applauds the culture of wellness that the Kent County Public Library is fostering in its workplace through this citation.

2023 Oak Park Public Library

The 2023 Citation for Wellness in the Workplace is awarded to the Oak Park Public Library in recognition of their commitment to wellness as a strategic priority. Last year, the Oak Park Public Library’s Well-Being Committee prioritized wellness through meaningful staff engagement programs like beekeeping training, monthly conversation groups, and Staff Engagement Day. Beyond these programs, the intentional initiatives and policies supported by their leadership in recent years have improved staff’s work-life balance and encouraged professional development. In considering the wholistic wellbeing of their staff, Oak Park Public Library has prioritized inclusive recruitment and hiring practices, implemented lifestyle spending accounts, and revised flexible work arrangements. Additionally, their intentional equity in providing professional development to all staff through programs like tuition grants and support for conference attendance demonstrates their ongoing commitment to the long-term wellbeing of their employees. SustainRT recognizes the lasting impact of turning wellness practice into policy and commends the culture of wellness that Oak Park Public Library is creating in their workplace with this citation.

2022 Queens Public Library Health and Safety Department

The Health and Safety Department at Queens Public Library has won the 2022 Citation for Wellness in the Workplace for their commitment to promoting the physical and mental well-being of their library workers. Their program was designed to increase employees’ health awareness and focus on prevention of disease to sustain a healthier workforce. By adding expertise from medical, health, and social care professionals to their staff, the department expanded programs with a focus on promoting mental health and wellness.

2021 Westerville Public Library

The Westerville Public Library has won the 2021 SustainRT Citation for Wellness in the Workplace in recognition of the great strides the library has made in pay equity for their library workers. In autumn 2020, the library board passed a new pay range scale that resulted in a 34.80% increase for the lowest pay ranges in the organization starting in the new fiscal year. This citation awards their progress towards meeting the needs of staff and promoting wellness through a commitment to pay equity for library workers. The citation helps promote the work done by leaders and provides examples of what can be done to foster staff wellness.