GREEN LIBRARY- A NEW CONCEPT OF LIBRARY

by
Bheemashankar.S
Library Assistant,
SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies,
Bengaluru - 560 083 Karnataka, India,
Email ID: [email protected],
Mob: 98450 01597By

Abstract:

The creation of green libraries is approaching a tipping point, generating a Green Library Movement,
which is comprised of librarians, libraries, cities, towns, college and university campuses committed to
greening libraries and reducing their environmental impact. Constructing a green library building using a
performance standard is a way some libraries are choosing to become green and sustainable.
Environmental challenges like energy depletion and climate change will influence the type of
information resources and programs libraries will provide to their communities The amount of
information available on green libraries and green library practices is limited but continues to grow

Libraries play a pivotal role not only in disseminating the culture of

environmental sustainability, but also in representing this culture and presenting
actual applied models. Environmental sustainability is an integral part of the
marketing policies of libraries as a central social entity. The least effective steps
for sustainability can have a significant impact on the overall picture of libraries.
With a small funding, the library gets significant returns as a result of marketing.
Achieving environmental awareness does not necessarily require significant effort
or substantial funds, but also effective activities in developing joint relationships
with other institutions, library friend groups, school projects, suppliers and library
beneficiaries.

Keywords :

Green Library , Sustainability , Environment effects

Introduction:

Ecological sustainability which can often be an undervalued aspect for the marketing strategy of the
library, has more impact on clients and on stakeholders than one might expect. Enthusiastic library users
are calling on libraries not just to provide popular services but to communicate a clear green identity.
Libraries as gateways for knowledge are particularly responsible not only for disseminating the idea of
sustainability but also for leading by example and thus serving as exemplars. Ecological sustainability
could be part of the marketing strategy of the library as a socially responsible body. Small steps in going
green can have a big impact for the library’s image. A small financial input can produce an important
marketing outcome. Bringing environmental awareness to libraries does not necessarily require huge
financial effort or a big budget. Activities in this field can be developed in cooperation with unpaid
partners like NGOs, Friends of the Library groups, school projects, library suppliers and, last but not
least, the library users. There is a wide range of ways to promote the idea of the GREEN library: use of
environmentally friendly or recycled materials, virtual user services and resource-saving copy services,
waste separation, elimination of plastic bags, no more paper cups and instead recycled/private crockery,
fair-trade coffee in the library’s coffee shop, green events and choosing library suppliers with green
certificates The interconnected topics of sustainability and green libraries have received a great deal of
coverage in recent years in publications targeted toward World librarians. Sustainability can be defined
as the capacity to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs. It has economic, social, and environmental aspects . While the term green
library is often used specifically to describe a library building that has received Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design certification from the United States Green Building Council , it can also refer to a
library that is becoming more environmentally sustainable in significant ways, whether by using nontoxic
cleaning supplies, reducing energy use, or collecting and promoting materials with environmental
themes Many librarians and other information professionals are taking action to ensure that their
workplaces will be environmentally friendly. This depends on working with institutional initiatives or
working out what needs to be done and gathering institutional support for action. Acting to take care of
the environment can result in major cost savings “ “Becoming Green and Sustainable” (2004), Gregory
mention the following areas as relevant to the greening of academic libraries: • weeded materials •
office paper/junk mail • outdated computers • obsolete media • building utilities There are several
reasons why libraries would want to build green or incorporate green features into their buildings. First,
the cost of constructing green buildings has become affordable. It is now possible for libraries to build
green buildings on conventional budgets. Second, most readily available energy resources are finite
resources. It is vital to the health of the planet and our libraries’ budgets that we use these energy
sources prudently

How to do Greening libraries

Not everyone can be so lucky as to have a new, environmentally ambitious library building. But it can be
highly effective to check all aspects of the building, management and services that might be seen as
environmental sustainable. What you can consider with a new library building - sustainable aspects of
the structure of the building, the façades, the building climate, ventilation, heating and cooling, the
lighting, the interior fittings, green information and communication technology - are all features that you
can point to for green marketing after opening and from which you can benefit for years. And you can
also check your existing building, your renovated or second-hand library building, to identify all the
areas that can be made of sustainable. In order to pick the key points to include in your strategic plans,
look for areas that lend themselves to cooperation with partners in sustainable activities and projects
and the unique green features to create a specific green identity for the library. And for all this, the
library needs no budget – just make use of what you already have! Alternatively the library
administration can check the user services, the library management and the facility management to see
what can be planned; a checklist is an easy way to identify what the library can do on a low level, far
removed from certificates and green awards. A good checklist is a tool to identify the green potential for
further steps to achieve a convincing green image. The strategic management of the library can easily be
linked to sustainability objectives. It is advisable to adopt strategies from the entire body of the library:
the university, the community or the parent organization to which the library belongs. The aim of the
library is to be part of an overall strategy. Create your own “eco-action plan” according to the aims of
the whole organization. The impact for the library is to participate in wider programmes and thus be
part of a green profile for the entire institution. A public library may be part of a network of the
municipalities: the library can highlight the municipality’s green profile and this could be a good
marketing strategy.. To be part of community-wide green thinking is a good strategy for a library

Libraries’ interest in going green

Two quick searches each on Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) and Library and
Information Technology Abstracts (LISTA) for the concepts “going green” and “paperless society” in the
titles of publications, depicts some of the current interest amongst LIS in “going green” and at least
cutting down on the use of paper. These are briefly categorized here: · Holistic and scholarly aimed at
research agendas: Development of information services that can limit GHG emissions throughout the
lifecycle of the generation, publication, organization, distribution, access, use and disposal of
information; finding a balance between green IT and the philosophy and theory of “going green” · Aimed
at feasibility, practical issues and progress: Including reports on progress made; examples of efforts in
libraries and countries; reviews of progress made in countries and in sectors of industry and society;
keeping (publically available) records of projects; screen colour of computers; guidelines for specific
sectors of society such as small businesses, trade, patents, law libraries, and pension agencies;
addressing navigation in paperless information systems; IT architecture; building design; sustainability ·
Publishing: Including means of electronic publishing, implications, copyright. · Digitization and
repositories · Applications and services in LIS that lends itself to going green e.g. interlibrary lending,
ordering, cataloguing, marketing, promoting “green” issues. · Targeting: Including targeting young
people and the Net Generation, users of ebooks, studies on LIS professionals and how “green” they are,
specific sectors such as academic or schools, and specific media .. · Effects and implications: Including
health effects of IT ,ethical issues: increasing the digital divide when relying only on IT · Collaboration:
Including collaborative work in a “green environment” · Access to the literature supporting “going
green”: Scholarly research, blogs and websites There are numerous challenges and opportunities for LIS
on all levels to make a contribution.

The problem of the study lies in, the spread of the phenomenon of green
libraries at the level of many developed countries in the Western world, and
activates its components at the level of the Arab world, which calls for
extrapolation of the elements of environmental sustainability and the
requirements of their application to various categories of libraries. Achieving
environmental sustainability is not limited to the library building, but also to
management, equipment, collections, and technical processes, services provided
and marketing.
Suggestions for making Green Library

What Library Staff Are Already Doing: • Turning off lights when they leave their offices • Using recycled
paper • Pulling paper out of trash bins and using • Using plastic sheeting strips to keep cold air out in the
winter • Using re-usable mugs/beverage containers rather than disposable • Purchasing printers that
duplex and have a standby energy mode • Placing light sensors among the stacks • Turning off
computers and monitors at night • Using stairs rather than elevators • Recycling returnable beverage
containers, with a recycle box by the vending machines from which the Food Bank picks up the
containers • Having every-other light off where possible • Recycling jet bags • Using two wastebaskets
in each office, one for trash and one for paper • Recycling toner cartridges More that Library Staff Would
Like to Do or Have Done: • Find a way to recycle books • Segment the lighting circuits so that one switch
doesn’t turn on so many lights • Eliminate personal printers and use networked printers • Decrease the
building temperature in the winter • Do a better job of recycling toner cartridges • Provide bins for
recycling non-returnable bottles and paper • Eliminate the decorative lighting and reduce the halogen
lights on 2nd and 4th floors • Re-fill toner cartridges rather than buying new • Improve the building
HVAC system to improve the inconsistency of heating and cooling throughout the building • Install low
flush toilets • Install a new server and run multiple servers on one server box • Reduce number of ceiling
panels lit in the primary east-west corridor of first floor • Automate shutoff of computers at night • Have
a method of recycling cardboard • Reduce use of individual electric heaters • Reduce printing at student
computer stations • Recycle University furniture (e.g., Salvation Army) Other
Comments/Suggestions/Needs/Information: • Need more recycle bins • Recycling of old books is an
ongoing challenge; being able to shred would be great • Harmony House will recycle Styrofoam • Why is
dining using Styrofoam containers? • Departments/faculty/staff/programs should reduce distribution of
printed flyers • Faculty need to be educated to save and send powerpoint presentations to students in a
manner that they can print six slides to a page and so that the slides are black on white, rather than
white on black which uses so much ink • Custodians may not be emptying the paper only wastebaskets
into recycling as they should be • Maybe the Library can initiate a cardboard recycling program like
Maucker Union has • Establishing a small “Green Committee” within the Library to keep this initiative
alive among staff may be helpful There is a recycling station on the road east of the Power Plant that has
a bin for almost every kind of recyclable material Computers: We shut down all public computers (165)
and 76% of the staff computers (80 of 105) each night shortly after closing. They are automatically
turned on at opening each day. During the hours the library is open all public computer monitors go to
power mode after 20 minutes of non use. Cardboard: We now have a cardboard recycle bin in our
loading dock drive. All library cardboard, including that discarded in our staff lounge, is broken down and
placed in this bin for pick up by Physical Plant Unwanted/discarded books: We remove the covers of
hard cover books. Physical Plant uses a machine to cut off signatures and send the resulting text block
for recycling. We remove the covers from paperbacks which don't have signatures and put text block
into our recycling bins for disposal. Cans and plastic: Many library staff eat in the staff lounge and many
eat foods in disposable containers. All plastic and tin is now being washed and taken to recycle bins on
campus.

Conclusion:

“Going green” and environment friendly, sustainable information systems and services are serious
issues requiring immediate attention of librarians. . A first step would be to recognize the need for more
information on the issue, to seek information, to gain insight and confidence and enthusiasm, and then
to put information to use, and find “green” means to share and disseminate information. Information
dissemination can be by means of LIS websites, blogs, and literature reviews. LIS professionals can
promoting evidence based decision-making in “going-green”, and develop services that allows for
information grounds.. These can raise awareness of “going green” issues and initiatives. They can
promote inter-disciplinary awareness and collaboration. They can collaborate in finding solutions. A first
step for LIS might be to each start a journal club on “going green” – allowing no print copies and no print
notes… and challenging each other to find solutions

The study draws its importance from the rules and standards that must be
available to achieve the elements of environmental sustainability in libraries as a
facade of civilization, heritage portfolio, and a model of social development.
Libraries can continuously check the environmental sustainability rules and
provide their components of: structure, building, facades, atmosphere, interior
environment of ventilation, cooling, heating, lighting and other interior fittings,
along with green ICT and other characteristics that refer to green marketing in the
end to represent a real interface to innovation Civilization.
The study aims at identifying the nature of green libraries, the reasons
and justifications for their transformation, the mechanisms of such transformation,
in addition to surveying of their standards specifications, and comparing the
different models of green libraries in the world.
One of the most prominent results of the study is the presentation of
library institutions as a living voice for the environment, and their role in
representing a model of green and sustainable development. They provide the
same publication for multiple numbers of beneficiaries and preserve them over
time, both effective models of sustainable practices. Raising awareness of these
modern requirements and balancing them with their standards are considered
among the most important skill requirements of contemporary library specialists.
Finally, the study recommends the importance of contemporary libraries
to be flexible to the requirements of the contemporary knowledge society and the
electronic environment. Also, the study recommends, the sustainable and
continuous evaluation of the latest developments in information technology and
the electronic environment. In addition to that supporting and encouraging
creative thinking. Lastly, the necessity of the Arabic library to simulate these
effective models, and applying the standards and specifications of green libraries
mentioned in the study.
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