Creating the Sustainable Public Library: The Triple Bottom Line Approach

Transform any public library into a truly sustainable organization―not just environmentally sustainable, but economically and socially sustainable as well―by following the directions and practices described in this book.

Sustainability in the context of ensuring the long-term success of a public library involves more than green initiatives and conserving resources: "sustainability" for libraries also describes efforts to increase their institutions' relevance to their communities as well as to make their programs socially equitable and economically feasible―a substantial challenge.

This book is a powerful tool that public librarians, library directors, and library managers can use to create a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) sustainable library, to lead sustainability initiatives in their community, and to identify and adjust their current practices that are considered sustainable to improve performance. The chapters focus on the elements of library sustainability separately, first addressing economic and environmental sustainability before examining the aspects of internal (workforce) and external (community-facing) social sustainability. The author presents numerous case studies throughout the book that enable readers to better understand how the sustainability principles described play out in the real world.