Libraries in collaboration: sustainability events at Cardiff University Library and the British Library

The urgency of the climate crisis is increasingly reflected in strategic and practical activities of libraries worldwide. This activity touches on all aspects of work in libraries, including their spaces, services and interaction with their communities.   

National and international cooperation can maximise libraries’ global impact on climate change. On 21 November, there is an opportunity to join two events with an international angle on libraries and sustainability. At 10:00, the British Library is holding an international webinar focused on improving the sustainability of library buildings, looking to learn from sector-leading examples from across the world, including Australia, Singapore and across Africa. Cardiff University will host a two-hour panel at 17:30, detailing work with European partners that is addressing the broader issue of library sustainability, including built environment and physical space, access to information, and public policy.  

British Library webinar Libraries and positive climate action: sustainable buildings will focus on the work libraries across the world are doing to make their buildings sustainable and carbon neutral. This session will explore examples of best practice worldwide – from new buildings, retrofits of historic buildings to innovative ways to reduce energy and water usage. Panellists from institutions including the National Library Board Singapore, National Library of Australia, and the University of Liverpool will touch on the issues of the sustainability of library design, operations and procurement. Sign up for the webinar here, and for the next webinar in the series here.   

Cardiff University’s European Information Hub (EIH) hybrid event Are Libraries Green? Sustainability in Academic Libraries will explore sustainability in academic libraries and the development of services and spaces to support sustainability in European libraries. Presenters will discuss the development of E-PANEMA, a portal of European Union-funded, SDG-oriented library projects, as well as the challenges of recording and measuring contributions of the library and information sector towards the SDGs. How libraries, as spaces, change over time and the implication of this on sustainable development will also be explored. 

This information guide for the event provides resources related to sustainability in Europe, including European policy and information on the key groups and initiatives for sustainability in European libraries. It also highlights the research areas of our presenters, who work at institutions including the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations (EBLIDA), Strathclyde University, and the Welsh School of Architecture. More information on the event is available here.  

 
21 November overview 

Webinar Libraries and positive climate action: sustainable buildings, 10:00–11:30 GMT 

Hybrid event Are Libraries Green? Sustainability in Academic Libraries, 17:30–19:30 GMT