ACTIONS
- Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage
- Learning and educational opportunities
- Cultural participation/social inclusion
- Sustainable tourism
- Support research
- Employment (recruiting, training, safety)
- Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste management and reduction
- Transport (forms of, energy use)
- Commercial activities including copyright and IP
- Governance and management
- Security, disaster preparedness, risk reduction
- External partnerships and collaborations
SDGs
- Toolkit/framework/roadmap
- Policy
Library Services for the Poor
- American Library Association (ALA)
2007
“The American Library Association promotes equal access to information for all persons, and recognizes the urgent need to respond to the increasing number of poor children, adults, and families in America. These people are affected by a combination of limitations, including illiteracy, illness, social isolation, homelessness, hunger, and discrimination, which hamper the effectiveness of traditional library services. Therefore it is crucial that libraries recognize their role in enabling poor people to participate fully in a democratic society, by utilizing a wide variety of available resources and strategies. Concrete programs of training and development are needed to sensitize and prepare library staff to identify poor people's needs and deliver relevant services. And within the American Library Association the coordinating mechanisms of programs and activities dealing with poor people in various divisions, offices, and units should be strengthened, and support for low-income liaison activities should be enhanced.”
Avaiable in
- English
SDGs LINKAGES
The resource supports a range of SDGs and targets, including 1.1 (eradicate extreme poverty), 1.2 (eradicate poverty in all its dimensions), 1.3 (support social protection measure), 1.4 (ensuring everyone can access services), 1.5 (reduce the vulnerability of the poor), 1.B (pro-poor policies), 4.4 (staff skills and supporting skills development of people experiencing homelessness, refugees, and unaccompanied children), 4.5 (removing barriers in education faced by particular social groups), 4.7 (Education for Sustainable Development, both for those experiencing homelessness and others, combatting prejudice), 4.A (effective learning environment), 9.1 (sustainable and inclusive infrastructure for economic development and wellbeing), 10.1 (targeted programmes to support those on lowest incomes), 10.2 (promote universal social, economic and political inclusion), 10.3 (removing discriminatory policies and procedures), 10.4 adopting policies and procedures for greater inclusion), 11.1 (access to housing and basic services), 11.7 (safe, welcoming and inclusive public spaces), 11.B (adopting Disaster Risk Reduction approaches that promote inclusion and reduce people’s exposure to risk), 16.6 (effective, accountable and transparent institutions), 16.7 inclusive decision making, 16.10 (access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms), and 16.B (upholding and adopting laws and policies for sustainable development), and 17.17 (cross-sector partnerships).
Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of educational programmes that explore poverty as a multidimensional and complex issue, and that empower people to act to address extreme poverty.
- Number of educational programmes that are targeted towards people living in extreme poverty.
- Proactive steps taken to ensure that all people, including those living in extreme poverty, can access services.
- Promotion of poverty-reducing programmes, locally and worldwide, focussed on those in extreme poverty.
- Proactive support for economically disadvantaged and marginalized people in supply chains.
- Pro-poor decisions incorporated into all forms of operations, including financial decisions.
- Transparency in reporting on the supply chain, incorporating actions to address extreme poverty locally and worldwide.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of programmes drawing on collections (educational, awareness-raising, research, partnerships) that explore poverty as a multidimensional and complex issue, and that empower people to act to address poverty in all its forms.
- Number of educational programmes that are targeted towards people living in poverty.
- Proactive steps taken to ensure that all people, including those living in poverty, can access services.
- Collections development to support such programmes.
- Promotion of poverty-reducing programmes, locally and worldwide.
- Proactive support for economically disadvantaged and marginalized people in supply chains.
- Pro-poor decisions incorporated into all forms of operations, including financial decisions.
- Transparency in reporting on the supply chain, incorporating actions to address poverty locally and worldwide.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of programmes drawing on collections (educational, awareness-raising, research, partnerships) that aim to empower people to make use of social protection systems, and that raise awareness of issues faced by people requiring social protection.
- Number of educational programmes that are targeted towards people requiring social protection systems.
- Proactive steps taken to ensure that all people, including those requiring various forms of social protection, can access services.
- Collections development to support such programmes.
- Promotion of social protection programmes, locally and worldwide.
- Proactive support for people in social protection systems in supply chains.
- Pro-poor decisions incorporated into all forms of operations, including financial decisions.
- Transparency in reporting on the supply chain, incorporating actions to address poverty locally and worldwide.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers and proportions of people from particular groups using collections in comparison with demographics in broader society.
- Numbers of people accessing collections.
- Number of targeted programmes that aim to enhance access to collections by disadvantaged groups.
- Sustainable tourism that enhances local communities’ access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property (including cultural and natural heritage), as well as to technology and markets.
- Involvement of people from disadvantaged groups in decision-making activities and processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of collecting programmes that aim to build resilience to climate-related events and other shocks and disasters, for example by forming collections that can contribute to related educational and research programmes.
- Number of educational programmes drawing on collections that incorporate resilience perspectives.
- Number of targeted programmes drawing on collections that are aimed at vulnerable groups, to build their resilience to climate-related and other shocks and disasters.
- Number of research programmes drawing on collections that are aimed at building resilience to climate-related and other shocks and disasters.
- Strengthen the resilience of employees, communities and suppliers by paying at a minimum the living wage and offering insurance to employees and their families, such as accident insurance; and by paying fair prices to all suppliers.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of policies and policy frameworks that support targeted, accelerated investment to eradicate poverty.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of young people and adults in skills-development activities and programmes drawing on collections, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
- Increase in number of young people and adults in such programmes.
- Number and proportion of staff who have received training in the last year, to better support their contribution to the SDGs.
- Programs and processes in place to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to eliminate gender disparities in education.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of persons with disabilities.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of Indigenous peoples’ groups.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of children in vulnerable situations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people in each type of programme drawing on collections from different demographic groups.
- Increases in numbers of people in each type of programme from different demographic groups.
- Proportion of people involved in such programmes in relation to overall audience size.
- Evidence that learners have acquired knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive.
- Proportion of education facilities that provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
- Number and type of initiatives to improve effectiveness of learning environments.
- Support given to other education facilities to make them more inclusive and effective.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Development of research-useful collections to support reliable, sustainable and resilient use by researchers and others.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that support economic development and human well-being.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that provide affordable and equitable access for all.
- Investment in collections facilities.
- Inclusion of collections information in regional and transborder initiatives, notably via digital access for discoverability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Policies in place for fair pay in line with national recommendations.
- Policies in place to ensure equal pay for equal value.
- Policies in place, and reporting mechanisms in place, to ensure transparent information on inequality within organisations, and to address inequality in income.
- Policies in place to actively support markets and market access for low-income groups and populations, at any point in the value chain.
- Targeted programmes to support those on lowest incomes, and zero income.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development to ensure that collections effectively meet the needs of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
- Number and proportion of educational and participatory programmes that promote participation irrespective of social or other status.
- Numbers and proportions of people making use of collections in relation to the demographic of the local population.
- Numbers and proportions of people involved in focused programmes aimed at promoting social, economic and political inclusion.
- Numbers and proportions of people from different demographic groups involved in decision-making processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
- Number and types of partnerships that build relationships with marginalized groups, individuals and communities.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Identification of discriminatory policies and practices, with clear plans to address these, to ensure equal opportunity for all and reduce inequalities of outcome.
- Collections development to uphold and promote legislation and anti-discriminatory perspectives, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Education and participatory programmes that promote anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Research that supports anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Participation in partnerships that promote anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of policies that proactively address equality issues relating to fiscal, wage and social protection considerations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of programmes drawing on collections (educational, awareness-raising, research, partnerships) that promote access to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services.
- Proactive steps taken to ensure that all people, including those in vulnerable situations, can access information on housing and basic services, overcoming cultural and language barriers.
- Collections development to support such programmes.
- Promotion of adequate housing programmes, and programmes to provide basic services, both locally and worldwide.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups, notably women, children, older people and persons with disabilities.
- Increases in numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups.
- Measures taken to remove barriers to access green and public spaces.
- Extent of green space provided by collections institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030a.
- Disaster Risk Reduction strategies and plans in place, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, to ensure collecting institutions and collections are factored into planning, and contribute effectively to Disaster Risk Reduction.
- Collections-based institutions included in local plans for social inclusion, resource use, and Disaster Risk Reduction.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of the population [audience/users/non-users] satisfied with their last experience of public services.
- Access to information, and accountability policies and mechanisms, in place.
- Effective institutional arrangements, both for own working and for working in partnership with other sectors, in place.
- Plans and arrangements in place for extraordinary circumstances such as natural and human-caused disasters.
- Effective arrangements in place to fulfil legal and social obligations and responsibilities.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent communication and reporting of institutional performance.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent decision-making and accountability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportions of positions (by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups) in public institutions (national and local legislatures, public service, and judiciary) compared to national distributions.
- Proportion of population [audience/users/non-users] who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group.
- Decision-making addresses societal, environmental and economic challenges related to the community, considering short-term and long-term risks and opportunities.
- Decision-making draws on diverse backgrounds, viewpoints and interests, reflecting a broad base of stakeholders, and working to promote inclusion and provide effective services for all of society.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to enhance public access to information relating to collections.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights, national and international agreements and legislation.
- Plans and procedures in place for public access to information relating to the operation and management of collections-based institutions.
- Complaint mechanism in place for public to use where public access to information and fundamental freedoms not supported or fulfilled.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of population [audience/users/non-users] reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law.
- Number and proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, in the full sense of recognizing all three of social, economic and environmental considerations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of local, national and regional multi-stakeholder (public, public-private and civil society) partnerships that address the SDGs drawing on collections, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.