How to improve the sustainability of digital libraries and information Services?

Chowdhury, Gobinda

doi:10.1002/asi.23599

Cited by 28 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…On the one hand, this helps users save time and effort and reduces trips to the libraries, thus contributing to sustainability. On the other hand, Chowdhury (2014Chowdhury ( , 2016 mentions the high energy cost in the operation of information and communication technology and among end-users and highlights the need for more research in this area.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Beutelspacher

Meschede

2020

IFLA Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Beutelspacher

Meschede

2020

IFLA Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Digital resources like the Europeana Collections project have played a significant role in digitally preserving and communicating cultural heritage of Europe (Chowdhury, ; European Commission, ). Like Europeana, the Smithsonian's digital collections and the Cabinet project attempt to communicate information relating to cultural heritage (Cabinet, ; Smithsonian Libraries, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural Heritage Information Practices and iSchools Education for Achieving Sustainable Development

Koya

Chowdhury

2019

Asso for Info Science & Tech

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since 2015, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) began the process of inculcating culture as part of the United Nations' (UN) post-2015 Sustainable (former Millennium) Development Goals, which member countries agreed to achieve by 2030. By conducting a thematic analysis of the 25 UN commissioned reports and policy documents, this research identifies 14 broad cultural heritage information themes that need to be practiced in order to achieve cultural sustainability, of which information platforms, information sharing, information broadcast, information quality, information usage training, information access, information collection, and contribution appear to be the significant themes. An investigation of education on cultural heritage informatics and digital humanities at iSchools (www.ischools.org) using a gap analysis framework demonstrates the core information science skills required for cultural heritage education. The research demonstrates that: (i) a thematic analysis of cultural heritage policy documents can be used to explore the key themes for cultural informatics education and research that can lead to sustainable development; and (ii) cultural heritage information education should cover a series of skills that can be categorized in five key areas, viz., information, technology, leadership, application, and people and user skills. Role of Culture and Cultural Heritage Information in Sustainable DevelopmentThe role of culture in sustainable development has been recognized by academics in different areas including local government's planning strategies

show abstract

“…This is a critical issue because on the one hand we can see the benefits of using more IT in libraries, but on the other hand increased use of ICT will require more energy and therefore create more GHG emissions, and this will keep on increasing unless appropriate measures are taken to reduce such emissions. More recently a few studies have been conducted to discuss the environmental aspects of a digital library or information service (Chowdhury, 2010, 2012a,2012 b, 2012c, 2016). Moreover, the study results indicate that there is no single answer as to which book format is better from an environmental perspective (Chowdhury, 2012c; Jeswani and Azapagic, 2015; Moberg et al, 2011).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are three pillars of sustainability, namely: economic sustainability, social sustainability and environmental sustainability. Environmentally sustainable library and information services have not been discussed or researched widely in the mainstream scientific literature (Chowdhury, 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, 2013, 2014a, 2014b, 2016; Jankowska and Marcum, 2010; Nolin, 2010; Spink, 1995, 1999). The library and information science community has also recognized environmental sustainability and green issues as important (Balog and Siber, 2016; Fourie, 2012; Hauke, 2015; Hauke, et al, 2013; Spodick, 2016).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Global concerns such as environmental protection, preserving natural resources and combating climate change, as well as reversing the trend towards resource depletion and environmental degradation are challenges to the global community. Many studies have concluded that libraries, like every institution that uses energy, consumes resources and engages in users’ services, have a potential impact on the environment related to library buildings, printed and digital materials, equipment and facilities, information services and daily operations or programs (Afacan, 2017; Chowdhury, 2010, 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, 2013, 2014, 2016; Hauke and Werner, 2012; Jankowska, 2014; Jankowska and Marcum, 2010; Primary Research Group, 2009; Tang, 2010). Moreover, environmental challenges like energy depletion and global warming will influence the sustainable information services and programs which libraries provide to their communities (Antonelli, 2008; Harger, 2008; Meyer, 2008; Urbanska, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Library directors’ concerns and attitudes towards going green and sustainability in China: An unexplored area

Kang

2018

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Environmental issues are one of today’s growing concerns. Numerous associations, organizations and individuals are waging an active world preservation campaign. The purpose of this pilot study is to examine an important aspect of library directors’ attitudes towards environmental protection and the level of their concerns and green practices regarding sustainable development that has generally been overlooked in the literature. Multiple means of data collection (interviews, observation and document analysis) involving 14 libraries in China were conducted between March and May 2015; seven main thematic areas emerged from the data, such as: levels of awareness and commitment to sustainability issues in Chinese libraries are relatively low, and the current efficiency of facilities and operations have been seriously wasted. These findings indicate that the main priority of the library has been to attain economic and social development rather than environmental sustainability, while ignoring the energy costs and serious waste to some extent in the rapid development process of the Chinese library. The author notes just from observation of daily practices that there is definitely room for improvement to minimize the negative impact of their activities on the environment. This paper discusses for the first time the library directors’ concerns and attitudes towards “going green” and sustainability. The ideas are expected to inform and improve library directors’ environmental consciousness and sustainable practices, as well as open new vistas for research into the economic, social and environmental sustainability of library information services. How to achieve the social, economic and environmental requirements of present and future generations from libraries, especially library environmental sustainability is discussed intensively.

show abstract

How to improve the sustainability of digital libraries and information Services?

Cited by 28 publications

References 36 publications

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

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

Cultural Heritage Information Practices and iSchools Education for Achieving Sustainable Development

Library directors’ concerns and attitudes towards going green and sustainability in China: An unexplored area

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About