Title

The Library as a Campus Sustainability Hub: A Case Study in Increasing Community Engagement & Collaboration in Sustainability through Academic Libraries

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0447-1443

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-16-2020

Keywords

Sustainability, Sustainable Libraries, Academic Libraries, Sustainability Hubs, Sustainability Programming, Library Engagement

Abstract

As the topic of sustainability becomes more relevant to all types of libraries, two academic science librarians share a case study on identifying and filling gaps in sustainability-related engagement, education, and collaboration at a mid-sized R1 research university. Seeking to transform their academic library into a Campus Sustainability Hub, the two authors began working towards this ambitious goal by establishing strong partnerships with sustainability-minded organizations and individuals both on and off campus, as well as by prioritizing the creation of community-centered programming that would engage audiences in sustainability content, research, and activism. After more than a year of building collaborations and fostering community engagement, they were successful in accomplishing their goal of establishing their academic library as a Campus Sustainability Hub. This case study provides more details on how the librarians reached this goal, including why they initially decided to undertake such a large task, how they chose to define a “Sustainability Hub,” what benchmarks they needed to meet in order to obtain this status, how they reached these benchmarks, and how they plan on continuing to grow this initiative.

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