IFLA’s role in mobilizing libraries towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: A review

Abstract

This article examines how IFLA promotes the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by building strong librarianship and fostering a literate, informed and engaged society. Data was collected through various search strategies from the IFLA website and Google Scholar, and organized meaningfully to highlight the contributions of various IFLA sections towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. IFLA’s various sections and key projects – such as the Green Library Award, toolkits, Library Map of the World and Sustainable Development Goal stories – were studied to analyse IFLA’s role in mobilizing libraries towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals. IFLA should work internationally to transform libraries to benefit the library profession, community and environment. The findings suggest that library and information science professionals should be aware of the activities undertaken and visualized through IFLA’s intention to mobilize libraries and raise awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals in the community at large.