Click on the image to listen to the full recording of this conversation with authors Noel Reich and Kelsey LaPort, and pick up a copy of their newest book at alastore.ala.org/hlnea.
School and public librarians have always been more than keepers of books. They are trusted adults, connectors, and guides who help young people make sense of an increasingly complex world. But what happens when that world feels overwhelming?
That question is at the heart of Guiding Youth from Eco-Anxiety to Empowerment: Climate Action Programming for School and Public Libraries, the newest AASL publication by Kelsey LaPort and Noel Reich. During our conversation, it quickly became clear that this book is not simply about climate change. It is about helping librarians create spaces where curiosity replaces fear, action replaces helplessness, and community replaces isolation.
Put a Name to Eco-Anxiety
For readers unfamiliar with the term eco-anxiety, Reich offered a reassuring explanation. Although the American Psychiatric Association formally recognized the term in 2017, many people have experienced it long before having a name for it. She described eco-anxiety as a “chronic fear of environmental doom,” while noting that it can also appear as climate grief or general anxiety about environmental change.
LaPort shared that discovering the term herself was validating.
“It’s like, to go through so much of your life experiencing, you know, eco-anxiety and then not having a name for it. It’s, you know, kind of was powerful in the sense of just being like, oh, this is normal…a lot of people are experiencing this, and it was helpful.”
That realization ultimately became part of the inspiration for the book. After meeting through ALA’s Emerging Leaders program, LaPort and Reich knew they wanted to continue working together. As conversations with ALA evolved, they recognized a growing need for librarians to support young people not only with information, but also with emotional resilience and meaningful opportunities to make a difference.
Moving from Fear to Action
One of the strengths of the book is how intentionally it reframes eco-anxiety. Rather than focusing on fear, the authors organized their work around three common emotions they found in their research: apathy, anxiety, and isolation, and paired each with a positive response librarians can foster.
As Reich explained:
“For apathy, that would be curiosity…for anxiety, the answer is action…and then for isolation, the answer is community.”
Those themes are woven throughout the book and aligned with the AASL Shared Foundations, providing librarians with practical ways to integrate emotional support into everyday programming while still grounding their work in professional standards.
Small Steps, Big Impact
Perhaps one of the most refreshing parts of our conversation was hearing both authors emphasize that meaningful climate programming does not require a large budget or elaborate resources.
When I asked what one small thing a librarian could do, LaPort didn’t describe an expensive program or cutting-edge technology. Instead, she talked about giving children permission to simply wonder.
She shared the story of discovering a bird’s nest outside her library and inviting students to observe it.
“…it rocked their world. They were so excited about tiny blue eggs.”
Moments like these, she explained, cultivate curiosity without requiring additional funding.
“It doesn’t take any resources,” she said. It just takes a lens at how we look at things.
That idea of viewing librarianship through a sustainable lens surfaced repeatedly throughout our discussion. Reich described it as intentionally looking at everyday interactions differently, inviting conversations about sustainability, and remaining open to learners’ ideas. Rather than adding one more responsibility to an already full plate, sustainability becomes another way of approaching the work librarians already do.
The authors also challenged a common misconception that sustainability conversations must be rooted in fear.
Reflecting on her own growth while researching the book, LaPort admitted she initially approached climate conversations from a place of doom and gloom before realizing that wasn’t the message young people needed.
“The only way that we’re going to be able to make changes…we have to be supportive and positive and uplifting, or everyone’s going to be crippled by this anxiety.”
The Takeaway is Hope
That shift toward hope became one of the interview’s strongest recurring themes.
In fact, if I had to choose one word that echoed throughout our conversation, it would be hope.
When I asked what they would like readers to take away from the book, LaPort said she wants librarians to realize they’re already doing much of this work. She hopes people walk away feeling hopeful and proud of what they’re already doing.
Reich added another word to that list: excited.
“I hope that it gives readers the opportunity to get excited about something and then try something new for themselves with that joy.”
Their optimism extends beyond libraries themselves. Both authors spoke about finding hope in young people, in growing communities of sustainability advocates, and in the increasing number of conversations centered on solutions rather than fear.
Near the end of our interview, I asked what they hoped readers might tell them a year after finishing the book.
Their answer wasn’t that librarians had transformed their entire programs.
Instead, they hoped readers would simply try one small thing.
As Reich reminded us:
“Just trying one small thing that works for them would be a win.”
That message feels especially timely for librarians, who often balance countless responsibilities while looking for meaningful ways to support their communities. Guiding Youth from Eco-Anxiety to Empowerment doesn’t ask readers to overhaul everything they do. Instead, it invites them to recognize the impact they already have, approach their work with intentionality, and discover new opportunities to nurture hope through curiosity, action, and community.
Sometimes meaningful change doesn’t begin with a grand program.
Sometimes it begins with a conversation, a bird’s nest outside the library, or simply helping a young person realize they are not alone. I know you each will find something that you can use in this new resource. Remember, just try one small thing. You can listen to the audio recording of the entire conversation to hear more about Reich and LaPort and their newest book!
Kelsey LaPort is a library teacher in Sayville, New York. She received her MS in Information Science School Library from the University at Albany after working for over fifteen years in marketing and digital advertising. Kelsey was honored to be the second elementary school librarian to become certified sustainable by the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI), and she joined the SLI Advisory Board in 2026. She won the New York State Educational Media & Technology Association grant for Media Literacy. In 2023 she was selected to be part of the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders cohort, where she met Noel.
Noel Reich is an adult services librarian for the King County Library System in Redmond, Washington. She received her MLIS from the iSchool at Syracuse University. Prior to relocating to Washington, Noel led the Long Island Library Pride Alliance (LILPA), which advocates for queer librarians and patrons across Long Island and New York State. Noel is the past Social Equity Chair of the Sustainability Committee at the Lindenhurst Memorial Library and is a current member of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. In 2023 she was selected to be part of the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders cohort, where she met Kelsey LaPort.
Dr. Jessica Thompson is a Senior lecturer at the University of West Georgia and serves as the Program Coordinator for the School Librarianship program. She is a member of ALA, AASL, VAASL, and GLMA and has served on varied committees locally and nationally. She serves as the secretary for the AASL Educators of School Librarians Section (ESLS) and serves as a member of the AASL Publications Advisory Group. Dr. T. (as her students call her) authored the 2021 Knowledge Quest article “Cultivating Our Self-Efficacy as School Librarians,” co-authored the 2021 School Library Research article “School Librarians’ Teacher Self-Efficacy: A Predictor of Reading Scores?” She is interested in all things school library-related, especially engaging students in reading activities.
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