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.
Table of Contents:
Introduction; Bharat Mehra and Sarah K. Tribelhorn
SECTION ONE. ACADEMIC LIBRARIES SERVING THE MISSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Introduction to Section One (“Academic Libraries Serving the Mission of Higher Education”): Key Takeaways; Bharat Mehra and Sarah K. Tribelhorn
Chapter 1. Academic Libraries in the Evolving Landscape of Higher Education; Shannon M. Nickle
Chapter 2. A Path to Sustainable Learning: Nuance and Literacy Across Campus When Considering Quality Education; Morgan Barker
Chapter 3. Bridging Disciplinary Divides in Sustainability Teaching and Research: Librarian-Led Initiatives for Quality Education; Christopher Sturgeon, Theresa Burress, Amanda Boczar, and Suchi Daniels
Chapter 4. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and Academic Programming for Future Bound College Students: A Case Study of Academic Library Outreach; Martha Adkins and Hugh Burkhart
Chapter 5. Shifting Sense of Place: Applying Sustainable Development Goals and a Virtual Place-Based Education Story-Map to Change the Story of the Red Cedar River; Eric D. Tans
Chapter 6. Bridging the Gap: Academic Libraries as Contributors to Achieving Quality Education - Comparative Case of Rwanda and Sweden; Berthilde Uwamwezi and Katarina Michnik
SECTION TWO. EXTENDING EDUCATION TO SUSTAINABLE CITIES
Introduction to Section Two (“Extending Education to Sustainable Cities”): Key Takeaways; Sarah K. Tribelhorn and Bharat Mehra
Chapter 7. "Ready or Not, Here I Come!": Promoting Reading and Socio-cultural Integration of Preschool and School-age Children through Sustainability; Sandra Gisela Martín, Mariela Rodríguez, and María Soledad Godoy
Chapter 8. The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies’ Sustainable Development Goal Knowledge Hub: A Reflective Narrative; Nigel Browne
SECTION THREE. ACADEMIC LIBRARIES EMBEDDED IN COMMUNITIES
Introduction to Section Three (“Academic Libraries Embedded in Communities”): Key Takeaways; Sarah K. Tribelhorn and Bharat Mehra
Chapter 9. Exploring How Philippine Academic Libraries Support Sustainability: Emerging, Developing, and Accomplishing; Danilo Madayag Baylen and Buenaventura (Ven) Basco
Chapter 10. Contributions by Academic Libraries to Address Food Insecurity; Linda R. Musser
Chapter 11. Something's Growing in the Library: Demonstrating Sustainability Impacts Through Seed Libraries; Carolyn Caffrey and Tiffanie Ford-Baxter
SECTION FOUR. EMERGING PARTNERSHIPS FOR GREATER IMPACT
Introduction to Section Four (“Emerging Partnerships for Greater Impact”): Key Takeaways; Sarah K. Tribelhorn and Bharat Mehra
Chapter 12. Partnering to Advance Sustainability: Case of the American Library Association Engagement in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; Robin Kear and Loida Garcia-Febo
Chapter 13. Academic Libraries Planning for a Thriving World; Beth Filar Williams and Vance Woods
Chapter 14. The San Diego Circuit Consortium: A Partnership for Social Impact; Margaret Henderson and Sarah K. Tribelhorn
Chapter 15. Academic-Public Library Health Collaborations: Supporting Sustainability for Community Health; Kaurri C. Williams-Cockfield
SECTION FIVE. SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS CROSS-CUTTING IMPACTS
Introduction to Section Five (“Sustainability Across Multiple Impacts”): Key Takeaways; Sarah K. Tribelhorn and Bharat Mehra
Chapter 16. How to Empower Your Library? Aiming for a Cross-Cutting Sustainability Mindset; Susanna S. A. Eklund
Chapter 17. A Comparative Study on How Academic Libraries Contribute to Sustainability; Nilay Cevher, Kübra Zayim Gedik, Uğur Bulgan, Tuba Akbaytürk Çanak, Ertuğrul Çimen, and Üstün Berk Sezgin
About the Author :
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.
