Libraries as promoters of environmental sustainability: Collections, tools and events

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Abstract
Striving for a balance between economic development and environmental protection is an ambitious goal requiring sufficient information on the part of all actors. Public libraries can play an important role in acting as promoters of knowledge on environmental sustainability. The researchers analysed the status of German public libraries and their efforts towards a sustainable society. We considered the libraries’ collections and created a questionnaire, asking librarians to evaluate the current situation in their library. The results show that many libraries promote environmental sustainability by highlighting books and other media on several subtopics through special conventions or shelves. Energy meters were the most frequently mentioned tools provided to sensitize to the topic. Furthermore, libraries organize several information events. Therefore, partnerships with other organizations and schools are of utmost importance. Beside these efforts, there is still more potential to promote environmental sustainability. Often, the lack of budget and personnel poses a challenge.