Sustainable Library Practices

1. Sustainable Library Practices Dr. Muhammad Sajid Mirza Principal Librarian, IIUI

2. Some Concepts • Sustainable • able to continue over a period of time (Cambridge Dictionary). • causing little or no damage to the environment and thereforeable to continue for a longtime (Cambridge Dictionary). • Sustainability • has often been defined as how biological systems endure and remain diverse and productive. But, the 21st-century definition of sustainability goes far beyond these narrow parameters. Today, it refers to the need to develop the sustainable models necessary for both the human race and planet Earth to survive.

3. Some Concepts • Sustainability • Sustainability is a balancing act. The United Nation’s 1987 Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future noted that sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the well-being of future generations. • The concept continues to expand in scope. In 2000, the Earth Charter broadened the definition of sustainability to include the idea of a global society “founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.”

4. Some Concepts • Sustainable Society • A sustainable society is founded on equal access to health care, nutrition, clean water, shelter, education, energy, economic opportunities and employment. In this ideal society, humans live in harmony with their natural environment, conserving resources not only for their own generation, but also for their children’s children. Each citizen enjoys a high quality of life and there is social justice for all. Ref: https://www.sustainabilitydegrees.com/what-is-sustainability/

5. Some Concepts • Environmental Sustainability • Is related with the maintenance of the factors and practices that contribute to the quality of environment on a long-term basis. • The situation whereby the society or a certain group manages to conserve the natural physical potential for the wellbeing of nature itself for good life. Ref: https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/environmental-sustainability/10076

6. Sustainability: Higher Education & Libraries • In 2000, Terry Links’ article, “Transforming higher education through sustainability and environmental education,” turned librarians’ attention to the importance of using sustainability topics in information literacy” (Link, 2000) • The same year, the American Library Association’s (ALA) President, Sarah Long, focused her term on the theme: “Libraries build communities” One of her initiatives was to support a special pre-conference workshop held at the July 2000 ALA Conference in Chicago with the goal to teach librarians community-building skills to promote sustainable development in their localities (Long, 2000)

7. Sustainability: Higher Education & Libraries • Sustainability is widely considered an important part of contemporary life. It is not a new concept to ‘go green’ but it is becoming more popular as the concept of global warming has become prevalent in the news and popular media. It is becoming more obvious that daily decisions directly affect the environment (Miller 2010: VIII). In the 21st century also libraries have started to adopt green values and put sustainability into action.

8. Green Libraries • Libraries are the education hub of a community and have a unique opportunity to not only become more sustainable themselves, but to also help expose community members to green ideas (Boyden & Weiner, 2000). • The amount of information available on green libraries and green library practices is limited but continues to grow. The earliest articles on green libraries appeared in the 1990s. The Wilson Library Bulletin’s February 1991 issue featured a special section on “Libraries and the Environment.” James and Suzanne LeRue wrote the lead article entitled “The Green Librarian” (1991). In this article, the LeRue explained in detail how to be environmentally supportive at home and in the library.

9. Green Libraries • Green Library Movement started in the United States in the early 1990s. The term means that librarians, libraries, cities, towns, college and university campuses have committed to greening libraries and reducing their environmental impact. This innovation is realised by building green library buildings, by greening existing library facilities, providing green library services and embracing environmentally supportive and sustainable practices within the library. (Antonelli, 2008)

10. Green Libraries • In the 21st century libraries have become more and more aware of green values and have started to develop their actions considering sustainability. As Kathryn Miller states in her book Public Libraries Going Green (2010, VII) “libraries are challenged with the new role of connecting the public with environmental awareness and education.

11. Green Buildings • Built environment is a major source of CO2 (Greenhouse gas) emissions, energy and water consumption, conventional air and water pollution and solid waste stream. • Landscape believes that a building that approaches sustainability and green materials from its design phase has a very strong potential to perform in an environmentally friendly manner. • Based on this, Landscape believes including "green" standards during the design phase, is a proactive way to reach great performances.

12. Organizations/Standards/Certifications for Green Pakistan • Ministry of Climate Change (http://www.mocc.gov.pk) • Pakistan Climate Change Act 2017 • EPDs in Provinces (http://epd.punjab.gov.pk/) • Pakistan Green Building Council (http://pakistangbc.org/) • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) (http://leed.usgbc.org/leed.html)

13. Sustainable Library PracticesWaste Reduction • Provisions of separate recycle bins for different type of waste/trash inside and outside the library support recycling activities. • Display of art work created from recycled material invites patrons’ attention toward recycling • Re-use of blank side of paper for official notes reduce the use of paper and cost. • Writing on both sides of the paper reduces the paper consumption. • Printers should be set on duplex printing to reduce the consumption of paper, energy and money.

14. Sustainable Library PracticesWaste Reduction • Use of recycled paper in the printers is an eco-friendly activity. • Network printing saves paper, money and energy. • Use of recycled ink cartridges and other supplies help in greening the library. • Old computers should be safely recycled instead of harming the environment by throw them away. • Encourage the use of reusable bags instead of plastic bags.

15. Sustainable Library PracticesGreen Library Buildings • Library design should support use of natural air and light. • Re-insulate the roof, windows and any other openings to cut down on excess electricity costs. • Storage and use of rainwater for gardening and WC flushing saves water and money. • Stop wasting water by fixing any leaks in bathrooms, kitchens etc. • Availability and use of hand sanitizer solution saves plenty of water.

16. Sustainable Library PracticesGreen Library Buildings • Soft pads should be put on the feet of study chairs to minimize noise. • Use eco-friendly products for cleaning to save your library materials, your patrons, and the environment. • Plantation inside and outside the library creates awareness among the patrons about environmental sustainability. • Use of safe and natural pesticides keeps plants healthy without damaging human health or the environment.

17. Sustainable Library PracticesGreen Library Buildings • Composting reduces waste considerably and produces natural fertilizer for plants. • Empty trash cans/bins around library premises helps patrons to properly dispose of garbage. • Use of eco-friendly furniture support environmental sustainability

18. Sustainable Library PracticesEnergy Conservation • Libraries should use solar and geothermal energy. • Libraries should use eco-friendly bulbs/lights not only to protect environment but also to save funds and energy/electricity. • Timer/sensor lights reduce electricity usage and increase savings. • Purchase of eco-friendly computer should be preferred

19. Sustainable Library PracticesEnergy Conservation • Laptop computers should be given preference on desktop computer; as laptop computer consumes less electricity than desktop. • Setting computers on sleep mode and turning off computers at night save energy and money.

20. Sustainable Library PracticesEnergy Conservation • Use of ceiling fan to cool down library premises instead of air conditioner helps in saving electricity. • Annual maintenance of Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system reduces environmental and economic impacts. • Help your employees set up a car pool or van pool so that they can cut down on pollutants.

21. Sustainable Library PracticesCollection & Services • Electronic information sources have reduced the use of paper. • Digitization projects have facilitated libraries in saving spaces. • Digitization has facilitated preservation of original contents for coming generations. • Email communication with patrons, vendors etc. is replacing surface mail to save paper, money and time. • Provisions of online catalogues have reduced the use of paper.

22. Sustainable Library PracticesCollection & Services • Resource sharing is a fundamental component of environmental sustainability. • Weeding of material create space to accommodate new arrivals. • Eco-friendly e-book reading tool like Kindle 2 helps in promoting environmental sustainability awareness among library patrons.

23. Sustainable Library PracticesCollection & Services • Meeting and training workshops on online modes helps in achieving sustainability. • Use of hybrid/environment friendly vehicles for bookmobiles produces less carbon dioxide. • A blog helps in educating library patrons about green initiatives.

24. Creative ways that libraries can become more sustainable Create a green action plan: • According to the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois, one of the best ways to get started on a green action plan is to create a baseline that lays out what the library is already doing to promote awareness. This can help you better calculate your current ecological footprint and map out a sustainability program for the next five to 10 years. At this point, you don't need to look for solutions, just evaluate the impact you have already. Ref: http://www.sirsidynix.com/blog/2014/10/13/why- going-green-can-benefit-libraries

25. Creative ways that libraries can become more sustainable Calculate the library's energy and water use • Gather the utility bills for the facility over the past year and determine how much it costs to provide these services. It's also smart to conduct an investigation about where in the library energy and water are being used the most. Ref: http://www.sirsidynix.com/blog/2014/10/13/why- going-green-can-benefit-libraries

26. Creative ways that libraries can become more sustainable Tacklewaste • An audit on waste is always an eye-opening experience for any institution. Although library software and widespread use of electronic devices within libraries has dramatically reduced printer and copier waste, there is still room for improvement in this area. Conduct an inspection of trash cans and see how much of the waste your patrons throw away is actually being recycled.

27. Creative ways that libraries can become more sustainable Reevaluate activities based on their ecological footprint: • If the staff decides on a goal to reduce energy use by 20 or 30 percent, then you should schedule projects and events that will have the least possible negative impact on the environment. You might also want to determine whether these efforts have high visibility to your patrons. This way, they can obtain educational value from going green and learn about ways they can make their own homes more environmentally friendly.

28. Taiwan’s Green Library • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKo0aH4zO_Q

29. Thank You! Contact: m.sajid@iiu.edu.pk