"Green libraries and their role in the face of environmental sustainability challenges: a comparative analytical study". | ||||
| International Journal of Library and Information Sciences | ||||
| Article 4, Volume 7, Issue 2, April 2020, Page 139-171 PDF (1.73 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ijlis.2020.105263 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Author | ||||
| Dr. Maha Loay Hatem* | ||||
| Lecturer, Department of Libraries and Information Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| 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. 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. 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. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Green libraries | ||||
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