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Libraries as Gardens is a collective project, curated by Belgian writer and artist Geert Vermeire, and was launched at the Analogio Performance Arts Festival 2018 in Athens, exploring how gardens and libraries overlap, departing from the relation between inside/outside, involving walking, writing and site-specific practices. In the initial project in Athens in 2018 a group of international artists researched artistically how gardens and their trees can become a library in the public space of Athens, complemented with an exhibition in TAF - The Art Foundation.

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Striving for a balance between economic development and environmental protection is an ambitious goal requiring sufficient information on the part of all actors. Public libraries can play an important role in acting as promoters of knowledge on environmental sustainability. The researchers analysed the status of German public libraries and their efforts towards a sustainable society. We considered the libraries' collections and created a questionnaire, asking librarians to evaluate the current situation in their library. The results show that many libraries promote environmental sustainability by highlighting books and other media on several subtopics through special conventions or shelves. Energy meters were the most frequently mentioned tools provided to sensitize to the topic. Furthermore, libraries organize several information events. Therefore, partnerships with other organizations and schools are of utmost importance. Beside these efforts, there is still more potential to promote environmental sustainability. Often, the lack of budget and personnel poses a challenge.

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Looks at the availability of a grant provided for librarians in the United States who wish to show their concern about the environment. The project titled 'Libraries Build Sustainable Communities' which is designed to educate librarians about the issues surrounding sustainability; Opportunities which the grant offers librarians; Use of libraries as community gathering places.

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Although the willingness to share is huge, sharing is rarely applied in everyday life, because many current Sharing Economy offers are not practicable. This paper asks what contributions an innovative Sharing Service -- a library not simply lending books but a wider range of items -- can make to close the gap between willingness to share and practice. Most of these innovative libraries were founded in the last few years, but many still fail to overcome the identified gap. As global environmental problems demand a change of consumer behaviour to enable human actions within planetary boundaries, bridging the gap could have a huge impact. Libraries of Things could reduce the average resource and energy consumption of users, maintaining quality of life. This paper analyses existing Libraries of Things and Tool Libraries. The outcome is assessed against empirically proven user expectations to detect the discrepancies between supply and demand of current offers commonly available.

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The IFLA Green Library Award shows that libraries all over the world are committed to environmental sustainability: Thirty libraries from five continents submitted their green library projects to its first round in 2016. Based on the submissions to the competition, this paper offers a summarising overview of green library projects worldwide. It addresses the following questions: how are green library projects similar and how do they differ concerning their goals, thematic focus, implementation and visibility on the library’s website? What motivated the librarians who submitted a project to launch a green library initiative? To answer these questions, three data sets have been collected and interpreted: the submissions to the IFLA Green Library Award 2016, screenshots of the participating libraries’ websites and an online survey of those who submitted a project. This analysis shows that IFLA Green Library Award projects feature a wide range of topics and forms of implementation. The most significant commonality is that more than half cooperated with partners to implement their project. The differences between projects primarily lie in their visibility on the library’s website, their duration, funding and staff resources.

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Support for the modular system of building construction, touted in the second half of the 20th century as the best basis for academic library building design, appears to be waning. A study of textquotedblgreentextquotedbl libraries in 2008 revealed that not only has energy conservation become important, but that spaces designed for users rather than books have become paramount. The modular system worked particularly well for housing ever-expanding book collections, but collection growth is no longer a practical goal. Users want and need a greater variety of spaces, which purpose-built rooms are better at meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Shezidao is the remotest district in Taipei City. Although persistent flooding led to several decades with no construction and development, a population of 10,000 still lives in this rundown settlement. In 2018, Taipei Public Library opened its most advanced Shezidao Intelligent Library in the area. In this facility, books are managed using RFID chips which remove the need for resident librarian services. Readers use automated book borrowing/returning machines and pick up reserved books themselves. In addition, users can select a book online from any of the 8 million volumes at 56 branch libraries throughout the city and then, through the book transfer system, it will arrive at Shezidao within seven days. Establishing the library in this disadvantaged area provides residents with an extremely convenient information provision service, reducing the inequality in access to information that has existed for many years. Because fewer resources and opportunities for learning are available in this area relative to the city center, Taipei Public Library holds English story-telling events on weekends/holidays to encourage children to read. At these events, volunteers read English picture books to children as a way of enhancing the learning environment and helping to reduce the urban-rural educational divide. This ensures everyone has the equal access to books and promotes the cause of information fairness.

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The Global Postcards column is pleased to present a column dedicated to examining ways that libraries are promoting and supporting the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our first article, by column editor Robin L. Kear, provides a look at one of IFLA's regional workshops for their International Advocacy Program that helps libraries understand how to promote their role in development goals. Next, Roseline Bawack from the University of Yaoundé shares how academic libraries in Cameroon are working to achieve the SDGs. Then, Magnus Osahon Igbinovia and James Afe Aiyebelehin summarize the 2017 Nigerian Library Association meeting that addressed ways that libraries can support development goals.

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20 Edgardo Civallero & Sara Plaza Libraries, sustainability and degrowth Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not for every man's greed. Mahatma Gandhi. Quoted by his secretary, Pyarelal Nayyar (1958). Only one Earth. Motto of the first Earth Summit.1 Last year, the American Library Association (ALA, 2015) adopted the Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries; since then, other international organizations have been quick to go along with the proposal, reporting on the potential relationship between sustainability and libraries2 . However, such documents (which, in general, support the role of librarians in building ``sustainable, resilient and regenerative'' communities and making ``sustainable decisions'') remain purely statements of intent that include a handful of trendy topics in their paragraphs, and fall short of being credible action plans. It is worrying to note that, despite the seriousness and urgency of the discussion, these statements tiptoe around a crucial issue ― sustainability ― that, so far, has not been addressed in depth by library and information sciences (LIS). The following paragraphs are intended to confront the reader with the impossibility of unlimited growth in a finite biosphere, and are aimed at introducing the notion of sustainability and other concepts related to it ― in particular ``degrowth'', which remains ignored in many forums on sustainable development, including libraries. The article will also address the links that can be established among sustainability, activism, and libraries' services, activities and policies. The ideas presented here are meant to serve as starting points, guidelines or major strands to help readers search through international bibliography on an issue in need of urgent attention.

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Die Initiative Libraries4Future (L4F) wurde im Sommer 2019 gemeinsam von Vertreter*innen des Netzwerks Grüne Bibliothek und des LIBREAS-Vereins gegründet. Mit Gründung der Initiative wurden Grundsätze formuliert, die es für Einzelpersonen und/oder Bildungseinrichtungen ermöglicht, sich in punkto Umwelt- und Klimaschutz zu positionieren.

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This selective bibliography lists a variety of sources pertaining the spectrum of outdoor programs, activities, and public spaces that libraries can offer during times of COVID crisis.

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IFLA’s demands to be co-custodian of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development provides tremendous opportunity for libraries’ transformation into the future, but it comes with a huge obligation. The 2030 UN Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 specific targets addressing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. There is no doubt that we are in the phase where transformative change is necessary for libraries regarding sustainable development. However, most libraries have insufficient data to assess whether they are on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, this paper presents a “Library Environment Sustainability Progress Index” (LESPI) which can be used as a benchmarking tool for any library to assess their compliance with the goals. In order to compile the Index, the 169 concrete targets were carefully examined and 46 of them selected for inclusion in the LESPI. The proposed measure has been pilot tested with a college library in New York. This measure should be tested with another library, perhaps with a public library, to monitor the feasibility of the Index. Moreover, creating a “composite score” for three major components of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) equation as well as for the Index in general would be beneficial to make more informative comparisons in the future with other libraries.

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In planning for the renovated and restored Woburn Public Library, it was essential that the library leave as small an ecological footprint as possible. Water Efficiency: With the additional square footage, came the opportunity to add bathrooms on each of the library's three levels. To mitigate the water use, the architects called for low-flow water fixtures. Energy & Atmosphere: Numerous energy-conserving and energy efficient strategies have been employed within the library, resulting in an estimated energy use reduction of over 22% when compared to other code compliant buildings. All spaces have been outfitted with 100% LED technology fixtures, which drastically reduce energy use and last far longer than traditional fluorescent lighting. The City has further renewed its commitment to having a sustainable building by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates to account for just over 70% of electricity use for 2 years. Building Materials and Resources: This building project was designed to be as sustainable as possible, and that includes the reuse of over 88% of structural elements from the original building. By reusing these materials, the project was able to reduce the amount of newly-constructed structural material required to complete the project. Locally Sourced Materials: Over 20% of the materials installed on the project, by cost, were procured from regional sources. Additionally, we estimate that over 20% of the installed materials, by cost, are made with recycled materials. The Air We Breathe This project was committed to using low emitting materials in order to keep the interior environment as pleasant for staff and visitors as possible. Additionally, the library has adopted a Green Housekeeping policy that specifies low-emitting and low-impact cleaners and equipment, focuses on protecting vulnerable building occupants, maintains good cleaning practices, and keeps the health of custodial staff a priority.

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Purpose: Awareness on and importance of sustainability in all aspects of our lives is becoming more and more important. The question arises, how -- not if -- scientists can contribute to a sustainable development. As information plays an important role for development, information scientists should be included in this debate. However, is there a sustainable information science or an information science of sustainability? The purpose of this paper is to perform a mapping of publications in library and information science (LIS) directly dealing with sustainability and sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach: A structured literature review was conducted, enhanced by bibliometric analyses. For this purpose, 102 LIS journals and conferences were considered. The authors identified 81 publications dealing with sustainability and sustainable development and analyzed the concrete contents and methodological approaches of these. Findings: A large proportion of articles could be found dealing with sustainable development and libraries. Other publications focus on information and communication technology or information systems. Only few articles deal with further topics like government, urban development or scientific output. Research limitations/implications: Sustainability and sustainable development are complex topics. This work only considers literature whose title or keywords contain the string sustainab*. Originality/value: The presented work helps to get an overview on sustainability research and activities in the LIS field and additionally, potential research gaps may be identified. The authors call for more research in this area and concrete ideas to help develop a sustainable future.

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This paper emphasize the role of public libraries in sustainable development and extensive partnership on the example of an environmental project, which involved more than 1,500 participants across Russia. Citing two out of 17 main goals declared in the United Nations document “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” the authors believe that achieving of these goals will require creation of new technologies -informational and social – and the new forms of cooperation. The authors describe how the Russian State Library for Young Adults in Moscow with two other partners prepared and held the nation-wide event entitled The Day of Environmental Knowledge. It took place on April 15, 2017, in the year, which was declared in Russia as the Year of the Environment. They outline all stages of the project starting from inviting the potential participants, processing the applications, inviting press, and describing the events at the places to the follow-up events and its impact on cooperation between the libraries-participants and local communities. The authors believe that modern libraries have the authority and means to promote textquotedblpeaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable developmenttextquotedbl.

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Das Hafenviertel Docklands ist Melbournes jüngster Stadtteil, der rasch wächst und sich zu einer wichtigen wirtschaftlichen Drehscheibe entwickelt hat. Die „Library at The Dock“, die Bibliothek am Hafen, ist eines der neuesten und ambitioniertesten Infrastrukturprojekte in Melbourne.

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Environmental issues are one of today’s growing concerns. Numerous associations, organizations and individuals are waging an active world preservation campaign. The purpose of this pilot study is to examine an important aspect of library directors’ attitudes towards environmental protection and the level of their concerns and green practices regarding sustainable development that has generally been overlooked in the literature. Multiple means of data collection (interviews, observation and document analysis) involving 14 libraries in China were conducted between March and May 2015; seven main thematic areas emerged from the data, such as: levels of awareness and commitment to sustainability issues in Chinese libraries are relatively low, and the current efficiency of facilities and operations have been seriously wasted. These findings indicate that the main priority of the library has been to attain economic and social development rather than environmental sustainability, while ignoring the energy costs and serious waste to some extent in the rapid development process of the Chinese library. The author notes just from observation of daily practices that there is definitely room for improvement to minimize the negative impact of their activities on the environment. This paper discusses for the first time the library directors’ concerns and attitudes towards “going green” and sustainability. The ideas are expected to inform and improve library directors’ environmental consciousness and sustainable practices, as well as open new vistas for research into the economic, social and environmental sustainability of library information services. How to achieve the social, economic and environmental requirements of present and future generations from libraries, especially library environmental sustainability is discussed intensively.

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This spring a group of committed people (library workers from ``GreenFUBib'', scientists, students) wanted to introduce the ``Blühender Campus'' (``blooming campus'') project to the surroundings of our library. In Berlin we currently have huge drought problems, trees die and soils get wasted. So we asked our faculty council and spoke to everyone we could find, and finally, we're now able to promote biodiversity. How do we do that? We plant shrubs and trees, and we hope nobody mows any more like they did the past, creating dust, churning up stones and causing plants to stop growing.

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The Complete Guide is a road map for libraries of any size, with any budget, seeking to redesign or repurpose space or develop maker style programming. This book covers developing makerspaces, writing grant proposals, and helping staff and administrators learn about the technologies and processes involved.

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Erasmus+ projekts “Library of Things” sniedz iespēju četrām jau pastāvošajām lietu bibliotēkām (Bratislavā, Briselē, Ļubļanā un Vīnē) un dibināšanas procesā esošajai lietu bibliotēkai Trnavā veicināt starptautisko sadarbību un pieredzes apmaiņu Eiropā. Pirmais Eiropas projekts, kurā kopā strādā aizņemšanās veikali, sākās 2019. gada rudenī un ilgs līdz 2021. gada vasarai.