Sustainability in the SDSU Library

The goal of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative Certification Program (SLCP) is to provide a benchmark of sustainability as outlined by the program to understand where the SDSU Library has sustainability challenges and to propose possible solutions to challenges going forward. The focus of the SLCP is to provide out library and library administration and leaders with a tested and structured pathway toward sustainability.

Since 2019, sustainability has been included as a core value of librarianship by the American Library Association (ALA), which encompasses environmentally sound, economically feasible, and socially equitable practices. Furthermore, the Association of College and Academic Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education has challenged academic libraries regarding sustainability. These challenges include intentionally including sustainability in instruction and research services, developing sustainability initiatives, and community engagement. Based on the recent work on the UN SDGs in the SDSU Library, the work is being done, but not clearly articulated. In addition, there is no benchmark for these efforts. Therefore, the goal of this certification program is to review sustainability practices in the SDSU Library through an extensive analysis of current practices and policies. This thorough analysis will provide a baseline of sustainability efforts to understand the strengths and challenges in this regard, and where to intentionally focus sustainability efforts in the future.