LEEDing the Way: Analysis of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design For the Education of Public Library Staff Stephanie D. Vap Emporia State University

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental design  Regulation & certification of green buildings  Developed by USGBC in 2000  Internationally recognized  Point system determines level of certification

LEED Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency Energy & Atmosphere Materials & Resources Indoor Environmental Quality Locations & Linkages Awareness & Education Innovation in Design Regional Priority U.S. Green Building Council, 2010

LEED Points Certification Levels: Certified--40–49 points Silver--50–59 points Gold--60–79 points Platinum--80 points and above U.S. Green Building Council, 2010

What does this mean to our organization? 1.Possibility of self-sufficiency  less dependent upon state funding 2.Need to develop staff education program

LEED Literature 2003 study by CA Sustainable Building Task Force Cost comparison- 33 green buildings vs. theoretical conventional building standards. Findings: 10 fold increase on initial investment Biggest savings- Employee productivity & health Kats, 2003

LEED Literature 2004 Fayetteville, AR new central library Held 40 public meetings- Public inclusion promotes advocacy and funding *Annual energy savings of $22,000-$31,000 Schaper, 2003

LEED Literature 2010 Ritter Public Library Vermillion, OH Will obtain LEED Gold certification Implemented green technologies: 1.Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heating & cooling 2.Rainwater cistern/ low flow plumbing 3.Vegetative green roof Kim, 2010

LEED Literature “the LEED process encourages an educational component, so appropriate for the "lifelong learning" role of public libraries” (p. 14) *Helpful guide in LEED certification education development Ames & Heid, 2010

LEED Literature Another helpful guide for education development; databases outlined: 1.Building Green 2.GREENR 3.Greenfile (EBSCO) 4.Environment Complete (EBSCO) Stoss, 2010

LEED Method Action Research methodology How much do WPL full time staff at the Central branch currently know about LEED certification? *Structured interviews for full time WPL Central branch staff, based on voluntary participation.

LEED Method

Analyzing the Data Transcribed interviews analyzed through open coding approach 1.Read once for general content 2.Read 2 nd time to categorize/code 3.Comparison of categories- Overlaps eliminated 4.Alphabetize codes

LEED Timeline 1.Month 1- Research LEED certification program. 2.Month 2- Research LEED program & solicit participants. 3.Month 3- Schedule participants and begin interviews with participants who have completed Informed Consent Document (see appendix B). 4.Month 4 & 5- Conducting interviews with participants. 5.Month 6- Analysis of data and final report written.

LEED Budget Voice recording equipment--$45.00 Transcription services--$1,485.00* * based on a standard rate of $1.50/per interview minute, (33) 30-minute interviews. Will vary depending upon actual number of interviews & interview duration. Total cost of research--$

Limitations Not instructional for design of LEED building Not a measure of success for a LEED building

LEED Role Researcher: – Research specifics of LEED certification – Solicit participants – Write structured interview questions – Obtained permission from Emporia State University’s Institutional Review Board

References Ames, K. and Heid, G. (2010). Leadership, libraries, LEED for the future. Georgia Library Quarterly, 47(1), Beck, S. E. and Manuel, K. (2008). Practical research methods for librarians and information professionals. New York, NY: Neal- Schuman Publishers, Inc. Brown, B. (2003). The new green standard. Library Journal, 128(20) Kim, A. (2010). LEED-er of the pack. Library Journal (1976) Library by Design (Spring 2010). Retrieved from es/ /leed-er_of_the_pack.html.csp. es/ /leed-er_of_the_pack.html.csp

References cont’d Schaper, L. L. (2003). Public input yields greener library. Library Journal, 128(20) Stoss, F. (2010). Libraries taking the LEED: Green libraries leading in energy and environmental design. Online, 34(2). Retrieved from Sustainable Building Task Force. (2003). The costs and financial benefits of green buildings. Retrieved from U.S. Green Building Council. (2010). Intro-What LEED is. Retrieved from