Green Libraries Are More Than Just Buildings

Abstract

Many colleges and universities across the United States have adopted sustainability in their curriculum and operations. Academic libraries need to support the mission of their university and therefore must also play their part in sustainability education and operations. The library and information science literature makes it appear that the hallmark of a "green library" is an environmentally friendly building. There are very few academic libraries in the United States that are LEED certified. The author argues that a green library is something more than just the architecture. By using example initiatives and providing recommendations for green library operations, it can be determined that a green library does not necessarily entail a green building, but it does involve a green mission. Defining green librariesThe phrase "green library" is prevalent in library circles and seems to pervade the library and information science literature; for examples, see Antonelli (2008) andBrown (2003).Although the wealth of literature on how academic libraries contribute to sustainability, the phrase "green library" colloquially refers to a library building that is certified as an environmentally friendly building. This trend implies that a green building is a necessary qualification for a library to be considered a "green library." According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), as of 2013, there are thirteen LEED certified academic libraries in the United States (AASHE, 2013), a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) certification that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The certification serves as a way to "provide building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions" (USGBC, n.d.). The exclusivity of the term "green library" is an unfortunate side effect of the allure of a new and environmentally friendly building. A likely unintentional implication, it is still harmful to those libraries that are serious about sustainability and are working to incorporate it into their mission despite the building they are housed in. A green library is not an exclusive club for those fortunate enough to have LEED certification. The author proposes that we shift the trend and use the term "green library" to refer to any library that promotes sustainability through education, operations, and outreach.In their comprehensive literature review, Jankowska and Marcum (2010) identify four major areas of environmental and sustainable issues in the library literature: "(1) Sustainability of scholarship and collections; (2) Green library operations and practices; (3) Green library buildings; and (4) Measuring and improving sustainability" (p. 161). I posit that a true green library is one that promotes sustainability by leading by example and attempts to incorporate sustainability into all aspects of academic librarianship. By engaging in these activities, librar...

Green Building, Green Behavior? An Analysis of Building Characteristics that Support Environmentally Responsible Behaviors

“…In addition to the advantages of occupying a green building, researchers in the field of environmental education are increasingly interested in the role of the built environment as a tool for teaching about ecological systems, contemporary environmental challenges, and technological and behavioral solutions. Thus far, this body of research has explored the built environment as an environmental educator within the context of formal educational environments such as libraries, museums, and school buildings (Aulisio, 2013; Barnes, 2012; Cole, 2014; Cole & Altenburger, 2019; Han & Hyun, 2017; Higgs & McMillan, 2006; Izadpanahi et al, 2017; Kostic et al, 2015).…”

Toward Environmentally Sustainable Digital Preservation

“…Although several certifications exist for green building construction and operations, with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification arguably foremost among them, 49 studies cited here demonstrate that certification is not conclusive evidence of environmentally friendly practices and that many other measures can mitigate collection management's environmental impact. 50 Furthermore, developments in information technology capabilities and the practices that result from them may have a greater impact than whether or not a storage facility has achieved a green certification. Mark Wolfe investigates how adopting information technology in a modern recordkeeping environment can result in more records for archivists to manage.…”

Library directors’ concerns and attitudes towards going green and sustainability in China: An unexplored area

“…In this context, the concept of the green library has received a significant amount of attention over the past two decades. Sustainable and green libraries consist of activities connected with building green library buildings, helping the existing library facilities become greener, providing green library services, and embracing environmentally supportive and sustainable practices within the library as well as a more holistic approach to sustainability dedicated to balancing environmental, social and economic stewardship (Antonelli, 2008; Aulisio, 2013; Fourie, 2012; Hauke, 2015; Jones and Wong, 2016; Meyer, 2008; Spodick, 2016). The amount of information available on green libraries and green library practices is limited but continues to grow.…”

“…Leadership requires an innovative set of competencies and great motivation to handle the changing shape of libraries, and leaders have to play a significant role in the transformation period of libraries (Aslam, 2018; Brown et al, 2015). Library leaders need to take initiatives to promote behavioral change and enhance environmental awareness within the staff and patron body (see for example Aulisio, 2013; Jones and Wong, 2016). Given this background, I believe it is important to work on understanding and raising awareness of sustainability issues among library leaders, and hence it is extremely important for library researchers and professionals to understand library directors’ attitudes, beliefs and perceptions concerning sustainability issues and environmental challenges.…”