Sustainable development challenges in libraries: A systematic literature review (2000–2020)

The Landscapes of Sustainability in the Library and Information Science: Systematic Literature Review

“…The concern, as it relates to green library designs, visibly intensified in 2007, when a seminar "Going Green" was held in Chicago, Illinois. The city planners, architects, and librarians attended to share the cutting-edge solutions that were possible to adopt at that time [5,13,14,30]. One of the biggest and most acute challenges in this area is the so-called carbon footprint of libraries, which is connected to their print and electronic material usage, external and internal architectural design, as well as to energy consumption.…”

“…One of the biggest and most acute challenges in this area is the so-called carbon footprint of libraries, which is connected to their print and electronic material usage, external and internal architectural design, as well as to energy consumption. These issues pertain to using electricity for printing, photocopying, supplying power for information systems and mobile devices, lighting, heating and air conditioning, enhancing the acoustic quality of an interior library's space; but also to consuming water, using water-conserving apparatuses, choice of construction materials, production of material waste or pollution, high maintenance costs, and lack of universal framework for estimating greenhouse gases (GHG) emission [5,31,32]. The green character of library buildings is also influenced by their nearest vicinity, the landscape surrounding them, their proximity to public transportation, and the presence of cycle routes and pedestrian ones, etc.…”

“…In summary, all of these factors are taken into consideration by the Green Building Council, which grants the so-called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certificates (LEED certificates). The certificates are part of the worldwide green building certification program [5,[14][15][16]30,32]. LEED certificates have been granted since 2000, and examples of libraries that hold this certificate are given by Stoss [33] and Fedorowicz-Kruszewska [7].…”

“…It is also a widely held belief that this concept is composed of three main components, namely, of an environmental one, an economic, and a social one. This three-fold structure is sometimes called the "triple bottom line", or the "three pillars" or "three axes" arrangement [3][4][5]. The pillars were ultimately and formally established during the Sustainable Development Congress in Johannesburg in 2002 [6].…”

“…Furthermore, the importance of implementing cross-and interdisciplinary research agendas in favor of achieving SDGs is often emphasized, which is why library and information science (LIS), as an example of an interdisciplinary field, ought to be included in the selected scientific efforts aimed at supporting SDGs and accomplishment [9]. This is especially evident regarding the social component of sustainable development because of the social and cultural nature of libraries as institutes, i.e., agencies, that are meant to provide their communities with opportunities to learn, develop, and increase access to various types of information [5]. What is more, it was also noticed that information is an inherent part of every development and innovation, which is why sustainability issues ought to be a prominent research topic within LIS [20,21].…”