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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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Purpose: The purpose of this literature review is to provide an overview of and insights into a selected bibliography of 102 research publications on libraries -- of all types -- sustainability and sustainable development, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Design/methodology/approach: The review procedure is inspired by the hermeneutic literature review method, referring to a circular process of searching, sorting, selecting, acquiring, reading, identifying and refining. The publications are mapped to provide an overview of the research field. Following the research mapping, all publications are categorized as either environmental, economic, social, cultural or holistic according to their usage and understanding of the core concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. Finally, the main rationales behind the core concepts are identified, and their possible implications on the role of libraries and librarians are discussed. Findings: Of the 102 research publications, 45 are categorized as environmental, 9 as economic, 9 as social, 3 as cultural and 36 as holistic. The main rationales identified across these categories are optimization, legitimation, demonstration and transformation. The possible implications behind these rationales are that libraries and librarians should be resourceful, explicit about their motivations, serve as good examples and act as change agents. Increasingly, libraries and librarians are expected to act proactively in relation to the global sustainability agenda. Originality/value: This literature review provides a unique overview of and insights into an emerging research field, which are needed for future research and discussion about the potentiality of libraries and librarians in solving global sustainability challenges.

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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.

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The Erasmus+ project `Library of Things' is providing the opportunity for four existing LoTs (in Bratislava, Brussels, Ljubljana, and Vienna) and one LoT that is currently being established in Trnava to advance the networking and exchange of experiences between LoTs in Europe. The first European project in which borrowing centres are working together began in the autumn of 2019 and will now last until the summer of 2021 due to adjustments that had to be made because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Im Erasmus+ Projekt "Library of Things'' entsteht unter insgesamt vier bestehenden LoTs (Bratislava, Brüssel, Ljubljana, Wien) und einem in Entstehung befindlichen LoT in Trnava die Möglichkeit, die internationale Vernetzung und den Erfahrungsaustausch zwischen LoTs in Europa voranzutreiben. Das erste europäische Projekt, in dem Leihläden zusammenarbeiten, hat im Herbst 2019 begonnen und dauert nun, Adaptierungen wegen der Pandemie geschuldet, bis Sommer 2021 an.

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The Redwood City (CA) Public Library's rooftop beehives have surprised and delighted customers and brought positive media attention to the library. Honey sales by the Friends of the Redwood City Public Library (RCPL) have offset most of the costs of - the program, while also creating a unique promotional item to get people excited about the library. The Honey Bee Interpretive Center inside the library and accompanying programs for all ages by a local beekeeper have increased community awareness about pollinators and their importance to the environment. Read on to see how you can create a similar ``buzz'' around your library.

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The article reports the move by public libraries in the U.S. as of November 2016 to offer food production programs and advance the concept of sustainability and education. Also cited are the move by South Sioux City (Nebraska) Public Library director David Mixdorf to launch the library's first community garden, the city's Voices for Food program, and the Read and Feed Teaching and Demonstration Garden at Rancho Cordova library system in California.

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Premiere in Berlin: the public district libraries of Berlin Mitte and Berlin Pankow enabled their trainees to participate in a workshop on textquotedblGreen Librarytextquotedbl. Janet Wagner from the Green Library Network, herself a FaMI, trainer and current graduate of the master's program textquotedblEducation-Sustainability- Transformationtextquotedbl facilitated the workshop and set the thematic focus. The topics were: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), best practice examples in Berlin, and current Berlin position papers for education, library development and the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Program (BEK 2030).

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According to the NGO Ukraine without Garbage, about 10 million tons of garbage are shipped to Ukrainian landfills annually. While 30-40% of this garbage is recyclable, only 4% of it is actually recycled.