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o mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day---and recognize the American Library Association adding sustainability as a core value---American Libraries returns with its ongoing sustainability series. In these posts, information professionals share their experiences with sustainability in libraries. As academic libraries evolve to contribute to institutional missions and visions, librarians are transforming out of their ``regular'' roles to collaborate with students, faculty, and staff in achieving goals such as sustainability. But how can academic libraries help with this integral commitment?

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As a reoccurring feature on the Sustainability Roundtable blog, we will post reviews of books related to sustainability.

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There is growing concern that a variety of factors threaten the sustainability of academic libraries: developing and preserving print and digital collections, supplying and supporting rapidly changing technological and networking infrastructure, providing free services, maintaining growing costs of library buildings, and lowering libraries' ecological footprint. This paper discusses the multidimensional issues of sustainability in academic libraries and identifies needs for designing an integrated framework for sustainable strategies in academic libraries. Additionally, the paper presents a synthesis of existing literature on the increasingly popular topic of "green libraries'' and prepares a background toward developing a framework for sustainable strategies in academic libraries.

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Services, buildings, logistics, IT-equipment and much more – that is the library of today. These items are normally viewed from an economical point of view in a library’s yearly budget, but have libraries ever considered that they also have an impact on a library’s ecological sustainability? When you want to observe where and how ecological sustainability occurs in a library you should go beyond a purely economic analysis. By creating conditions for sustainable development, adding eco-efficiency as a measuring tool and generally acting in an environmentally friendly manner, library staff can assist in realizing the sustainability of the library. Dienstleistungen, Gebäude, Logistik, IT und vieles mehr – das ist die Bibliothek von heute. Normalerweise werden diese Elemente von einem ökonomischen Standpunkt im Rahmen eines Jahresbudgets betrachtet; doch wurde jemals daran gedacht, dass diese Themen auch einen ökologischen Effekt auf die Nachhaltigkeit einer Bibliothek haben können? Wenn man herausfinden möchte, wo und wie in einer Bibliothek auf ökologische Nachhaltigkeit Wert gelegt wird, muss man über die ökonomische Analyse hinausgehen. Die Einführung von Kriterien für nachhaltige Entwicklung, zusätzliche Eco-Effizienz als Messinstrument und das allgemeine umweltfreundliche Verhalten können helfen, die Nachhaltigkeit von Bibliotheken sichtbar werden zu lassen.

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Many in the library world are embracing sustainability initiatives in an effort to better serve our communities and planet. In this article the author explores the need to integrate preservation within the broader approach to library sustainability, as well as the challenges presented by sustainable preservation practices. The author addresses concerns including reducing the amount of waste produced, recycling options, and availability of environmentally friendly supplies through the presentation of a case study. In addition, the article further explores the complexities of sustainable preservation by promoting continued discussion on finding the balance between accepted preservation best practices and emerging trends in sustainable solutions.

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The world faces global ecological systems challenges of unprecedented severity and threat. The scientific reality of climate change has been politicized; President Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris Climate Accords and the action has moved city and state leaders to offset this maneuver. The role of public libraries as hubs for reliable information, learning, and community building is ever more critical to our future resilience and sustainability.

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Purpose This paper aims to propose a model which serves to illustrate that a number of factors are responsible for, and contribute to, the different forms of sustainability of digital information services. It also seeks to identify some areas of information research and their interrelationship in the context of sustainability of digital information services. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on critical analysis of a range of research and policy documents, and an environment scan, in different aspects of sustainability of information systems and services. Recent and relevant past research studies as well as some relevant government policies and initiatives have been critically analyzed in order to identify various factors that are said to contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of information services. Findings It is noted that the sustainability of information has not been studied within the mainstream information science research. However, several previous research studies have produced findings and models that can be used to achieve some aspects of sustainability of information. It is also noted that various parameters of sustainability are inter-related and hence a proper research agenda has to be prepared, and concerted research efforts are needed in order to be able to develop and manage sustainable digital information services. Practical implications A model has been proposed showing the various factors to be studied for achieving the economic, social and environmental sustainability of information services. Interrelations among the different factors and their implications for sustainability of digital information systems services are also discussed. Originality/value The model is expected to open new vistas for research in the economic, social and environmental sustainability of digital information systems and services. It will develop new tools, technologies and applications for building sustainable information systems and services appropriate for the digital era.

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About a year ago I was talking to the chief sustainability officer at the University of Utah about my work as a librarian, and she made a surprising suggestion: ``Why don't you come work with us for a while?''

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The article offers advice for librarians on how to adopt sustainability as a core value. Particular focus is given to the reports of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has found that the immediate consequences of climate change are more dire than originally predicted. Additional topics discussed include making sustainability an inherent element in library school curricula and the deadly wildfire season in California in 2018.

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Research libraries have provided a key to unlocking the knowledge of the centuries. The nature of their stewardship of knowledge has led to a focus on understanding the value and sustainability in terms of collections. The extraordinarily rich collections have made a great contribution to education and to the communities they serve. A new theory of change which underpins the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG s) highlights the contribution that activities can make to improve national and international economic, social, community and governmental health. This article analyses the nature of major research library activities in light of the SDGs methodology. Taking this broad framework to the work of International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) libraries provides new insights into the value and broader contribution of those libraries. The indicators assessed in the framework specifically relate to the outcomes of education and information within the societies they service. The case study suggests that the libraries make a significant and deep contribution both to the current national environments as well as in creating a framework for future returns on the investment to their universities.

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The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library kicked off a series of conference with the main theme on ‘Academic Librarian’ since 2007. In 2016, the fourth conference of the series entitled Academic Librarian 4: Sustainable Academic Libraries: Now and Beyond was co-organized by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library and the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library. The Academic Librarian 4 Conference addresses the multi-dimensional issues of sustainability pertaining to academic libraries under four major themes: (1) Sustainable Environment; (2) Sustainable Resources; (3) Sustainable Technologies; and (4) Sustainable Services. Apart from reviewing the key issues concerning the sustainability of academic libraries brought up by the conference papers, the author also highlights the way in which the Academic Librarian 4 Conference tried every effort to make this a sustainable library event.

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Brazil, a world leader in natural resources, has been taking measures in order to guarantee an effective implementation of public policies, as well as effective environmental and educational management in its practices and services by aiming at environmental sustainability. However, regarding the Library Science field, specially the sector of Public Libraries, the roles and responsibilities of these institutions and librarians are little discussed in this scenario. This paper assumes that public libraries are institutions supported by the government, therefore they should be the first institutions to incorporate principles of sustainability and turn themselves into models of green cultural facilities in the country. This work presents a brief scenario of Brazilian public libraries, especially the Biblioteca Parque do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, the only facility of its kind that has achieved the Gold LEED Environmental Certificate. It also discusses the Ministry of Environment's Sala Verde project, which offers a collection of environmental books which aim at fostering the development of green rooms and their patrimony for environmental education and sustainability in Brazilian libraries. This study also suggests national guidelines for the implementation of public policies for green and sustainable libraries in the country. The objective is to stimulate such implementation in local and state governments.

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Introduction. Research linking sustainable development and information science has been sparse. In addition, while the United Nations early on recognized the importance of information for sustainable development, there has been very little progress in linking sustainable development with information related issues, such as information and communication technologies. A basic problem is the difficulty in connecting highly flexible concepts such as information andinformation society to the complex concept of sustainable development. Method. This paper reviews the development of the concept of sustainable development, discusses various failures connecting it to information as a strategic resource and attempts an articulation of the concept of sustainable information, building on sustainable development. Conclusions. Sustainable information is seen to consist of two distinct parts: information for sustainable development (seen as a resource for the project of sustainable development) and development of sustainable information (creating sustainable information and communication technologies). It is argued that an articulation of sustainable information is important for information science and neighbouring research disciplines. The paper concludes with suggestions on integrating concepts of sustainable information into educational programmes for information professionals. Specific emphasis is placed on sustainable information as an area to be developed within information ethics.

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The article concerns a new libraries development strategy, which means taking account of the sustainable development concept in which the main emphasis is put on minimizing the negative influence on the natural environment, social and intergeneration justice. This organization activity concept plays more and more essential role nowadays, when there is growing natural environment devastation, social and economic anxiety and social stratification. The libraries have been interested in the idea of sustainable development since the 1990s. In the article, the sustainable library idea was presented as well as some selected examples of sustainable libraries, the appropriate tools for measuring these types of institutions and the prospects of their development.

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This study aims to investigate sustainability awareness in libraries and compare the results between foreign and Finnish libraries. The study employed a descriptive survey method supported by a questionnaire. The survey was conducted at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Helsinki in August 2012 and it is a part of a Finnish national project “Sustainable development in libraries”. The Finnish-language questionnaire for public libraries was conducted in February 2012. The questionnaire was divided into five sections: environmental management, environmental economy, reduction of environmental burden, increase in environmental awareness and environmental communication. There were 141 respondents to the Finnish survey but disappointingly only 28 people answered the international survey. This statistically is not significant but the study gives some sense of the potential for investigating international opinion at a major conference such as IFLA. The study showed that there is much room for improvement in sustainability of libraries. Environmental communication seems to be the area that most needs improvement and the reduction of environmental burden is where libraries appear to be performing well. Significant differences were not noticed between Finnish and other libraries although it is not possible to draw definitive conclusions from such a small sample. Further research and more significant comparative studies on sustainability in libraries, in particular on social and economic sustainability, are required. Diese Studie untersucht das Bewusstsein für Nachhaltigkeit in Bibliotheken und vergleicht die Ergebnisse anderer Länder mit denen Finnlands. Die Studie wendet die Methode einer beschreibenden Untersuchung an, gestützt durch eine Umfrage. Die Untersuchung wurde während des IFLA World Library and Information Congress im August 2012 in Helsinki durchgeführt und ist Teil eines finnischen nationalen Projektes “Sustainable development in libraries”. Die Umfrage in finnischer Sprache wurde im Februar 2012 unter öffentlichen Bibliotheken durchgeführt und bestand aus fünf Abschnitten: Umwelt- management, Umweltökonomie, Reduktion der Umweltbelastung, Zunahme des Umweltbewusstseins und der umweltbezogenen Kommunikation. Es gingen 141 Antworten von finnischen Bibliotheken ein, aber enttäuschenderweise beantworteten nur 28 anwesende Bibliothekare den internationalen Fragebogen. Die Studie zeigt, dass zur Verbesserung der Nachhaltigkeit in Bibliotheken noch viel getan werden kann. Sowohl auf dem Gebiet der Kommunikation als auch bei der Reduzierung der Umweltbelastung scheinen Bibliotheken gut aufgestellt. Signifikante Unterschiede zwischen finnischen und anderen Bibliotheken wurden nicht festgestellt. Weitere Forschungen zur Nachhaltigkeit in Bibliotheken sind erforderlich, besonders hinsichtlich sozialer und ökonomischer Nachhaltigkeit.

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