Environmental Sustainability – A marketing tool for libraries

Environmental awareness does not necessarily mean huge library’s financial efforts or a large budget. Ecological Sustainability as an underrated aspect for the marketing strategy of a library has more influence on clients and on stakeholders than one would expect. Passionate library users are calling on libraries not just to provide common services but to interact with a clear green identity. Libraries as pathways for knowledge and education are notably responsible not only to spread the idea of going or being green but to give an example as a demonstration vehicle.

Environmental sustainability can serve as part of the marketing strategy of the library as a social accountable body. Just small steps in going green can make a big impact for the library’s image. Little financial input can bring effectual marketing outcome. Cooperation with outstanding partners like NGOs, friends of the library, library suppliers, school projects and last but not least the library users can work well to fulfill ecological demands on one hand and to convince stakeholders, customers and the public on the necessity of “going green” on the other hand.

The paper will present examples from both public libraries and academic libraries from all over the world, dealing with ideas to gain recognition with a green identity that conveys an attractive market image. Examples will be taken also from the IFLA Green Library Award 2016. There is a wide range of examples promoting the idea of the GREEN library: Environmentally friendly or recycled materials, virtual user services, resource-saving copy-services, waste separation, elimination of plastic bags, no more paper cups but recycled/private china, fair-trade coffee in the library’s coffee shop, green events and choosing library suppliers with green certificates – or are working to get one of those.
 
Dr. Petra Hauke is currently working as Assistant Lecturer at the Berlin School of Library and Information Science at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany (https://www.ibi.hu-berlin.de/en?set_language=en). She has served as editor and has authored numerous special library publications. She has taught on a wide range of library-related subjects at Humboldt University, Berlin, and a host of other universities. Her career spans more than 30 years of expertise in both public and special libraries. Petra Hauke has served as member of the IFLA Education and Training Section Standing Committee (2005–2013). She actually serves as member of the IFLA Library Theory and Research Section Standing Committee (http://www.ifla.org/library-theory-and-research) and member of the IFLA Environmental Sustainability and Libraries Special Interest Group (ENSULIB, http://www.ifla.org/environmental-sustainability-and-libraries). She is initiator and contact person for the IFLA LIS Student Paper Award (http://www.ifla.org/set/student-paper-award) and the IFLA Green Library Award 2016 (http://www.ifla.org/node/10160?og=479).
 
Recent publications as well as papers presented on national and international conferences are on “Green Libraries” – to name but a few:

• Praxishandbuch Bibliotheksbau: Planung – Gestaltung – Betrieb / hrsg. von Petra Hauke und Klaus Ulrich Werner. München/Boston: De Gruyter Saur, 2016. XI, 528 pp., Ill.
• How to become / How to identify a Green Library? Standards for Certification. Paper presented at the 81st IFLA Conference, 15-21 August 2015, Cape Town, South Africa
• Keynote: Green Libraries on the Agenda! International and national initiatives fostering environmental sustainable libraries and library services. Paper presented at the 80th IFLA Conference, 16-22 August 2014, Lyon, France
• (with K.U. Werner) Going green as a marketing tool for libraries: environmentally sustainable management practices. Paper presented at the 79th IFLA Conference, 17-23 August 2013, Singapore
• The Green Library = Die grüne Bibliothek. The challenge of environmental sustainability / ed. on behalf of IFLA by Petra Hauke, Karen Latimer and Klaus Ulrich Werner. München/Boston: De Gruyter Saur, 2013. VIII, 433 pp., Ill. (IFLA Publications, 161) 978-3-11-030972-0