“What you do today is stealing from others tomorrow”

I knew the Clore Short Course was going to challenge me and I was excited at the prospect of viewing things from a new perspective. But at the end of week one I feel like I have been jet propelled into a direction I hadn’t even considered!

Listening to Futurist Christopher Barnatt on Friday completely shook my world, or made me realise how my life was shaking my world and the world that my family and others will experience in the (not too distant) future!

I’m no expert, but the short story is that we are using up the earth’s resources too quickly, and this will significantly impact on people and our environment. The way I see it – we’re all responsible and we need to do something – now!

It took only minutes for me to realise that libraries are really well placed to create a meaningful dialogue about our world, our families and our society, at a very local level. It is, after all, what libraries already enable and it is what we do locally that is having an impact on the environment.

I’m really interested in how we find a narrative that doesn’t make people feel guilty about what they are not doing. I believe people need to feel positive and excited about what they are doing – this is more likely to spark a trend and a following.

I have in my mind a whole range of ideas, projects, partnerships and initiatives! I have already read, researched and reached out – but now I feel I need to give myself time to reflect… And then do (although I have already booked a meeting with my local Transition Network)

I’ve written it all down, dividing it into:

• Me
• Family
• Community
• Libraries

There are tiny steps to make, but I believe together libraries could contribute to bigger leaps.

I’ll meet you here in a few months, and we can chat about what’s been achieved.