Case Exemplars of How Academic Libraries Promote Sustainable Communities

This is an edited collection of sustainability efforts in academic libraries, partnering with various types of institutions and organizations, including libraries from higher education that are public or private, research universities, degree-awarding or vocational, among others. This volume includes research, case studies, and reflective narratives from academic libraries and their collaborations working with varied partners toward operationalizing the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This collection offers valuable insight into how academic library partnerships, both direct and indirect, contribute to sustainability efforts, with a focus on social equity, economic feasibility, and environmental stewardship to nurture community resilience. Structured into five sections, it highlights the global impact of academic libraries and their partners in adopting and implementing the SDGs to drive social change. These sections specifically explore how libraries are: serving the mission of higher education, extending education to sustainable cities, becoming embedded in communities, forming partnerships for greater impact, and achieving cross-cutting impacts across various initiatives.

These insightful chapters include innovative strategies and global perspectives on some of the cutting-edge work initiated and/or led by academic libraries to build sustainable and resilient communities, through collaborative ventures and out-of-the-box partnerships.

Sarah K. Tribelhorn is the Sciences and Sustainability Librarian at San Diego State University. She has been instrumental in leading sustainability initiatives in the University Library, including the formation of a library Sustainability Committee and the Library’s participation in the Sustainable Libraries Initiative Certification Program (SLCP) for academic libraries to benchmark sustainability within the library.

Bharat Mehra is EBSCO Endowed Chair in Social Justice and Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama. His research promotes equity in library and information science and community informatics or use of information and communication technologies to empower underserved populations.