Article,
The great sustainable shifts: The story of ENSULIB
IFLA ENSULIB Newsletter, 1 (1): 6-9 (2021)Best practices; ENSULIB; Environmental sustainability; Green buildings; Green libraries; Sustainability; Sustainable cities; UN 2030 Agenda; UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Abstract
The IFLA Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Section (ENSULIB) has existed little over ten years and the narrative of the group reflects broader shifts in the environmental discussion in libraries. 2010 marked the start of the decade when awareness of environmental sustainability really broke through -- from the Paris climate agreement in 2015 to UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. At the same time libraries realized that environmental and social sustainability could and should be at the core of librarianship. However, this awakening has not been the only major shift. The development of library thinking about environmental issues has progressed through green architecture to carbon footprint and even further to carbon handprint. At the same time, the social aspects of sustainability have been recognized in libraries.
