ENSULIB announces the winner of the
3rd IFLA Green Library Award 2018
Environment, Sustainability and Libraries (ENSULIB) is a special interest group under IFLA. With
generous sponsorship from De Gruyter Publishing (Boston/Berlin), the group circulated a Call for
Submissions for the IFLA Green Library Award for the third year in a row. To ENSULIB’s great delight,
32 submissions were received from around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China,
Colombia, Croatia, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ivory Coast, Kasachstan, Kenya, Latvia,
Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Spain, Ukraine, USA, and Usbekistan. When the call for reviewers went
out, 17 people stepped up to help with the process. The reviewers were as diverse as those who submitted.
Coming from Australia, France, Finland, Kenya, Germany, Pakistan/New Zealand, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, and the U.S., they were a blend of LIS students, library professionals (from public and academic
libraries) and an architect as well.
After much deliberation, the winner was selected: the Foshan Library (“Foshan Library’s Green
Practice“), located in Foshan new city, which is key area of construction of sponge city in the province of
Guangdong, China (http://www.fslib.com.cn/).
One reviewer found: “The Foshan Library is a culturally significant building in harmony with the
prevailing landscape, and which delivers a compelling architectural vision that pays homage to the cultural
and artistic history of the region. The library and its services are strengthened by a powerful commitment to
sustainable principles which extends to architectural design, building materials, management, and staff
commitment to continuous improvement and community education. The library presents an impressive
array of engaging and inspiring green programs for its community.”
The Foshan Library project fulfills the goals of the Green Library award, which include, communicating
the library’s commitment to environmental sustainability and creating awareness of libraries’ social
responsibility and leadership in environmental education. More generally, the Award aims to support and
promote the worldwide Green Library movement and encourage green libraries to present their activities
to an international audience. Following the IFLA Statement on Libraries and Sustainable Development, the
award advances the profession through illuminating the role of libraries and librarians in the advancement
of sustainability standards and the promotion of specialized knowledge within professional practice.
The award will be presented at the at the World Library and Information Congress in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, Session 153b, Special Presentation of Awards Session, held on Monday, 27 Aug
2018, 12:45–13:45, Expo Pavillon.
Five Runners Up
The five runners up for the award came from Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Iran, and Kenya. The various
polarities of the submissions created a mighty challenge for the reviewers. For instance, cool weather
countries grapple with how to warm a building, while those in hot climates aim to cool their buildings.
Some the submissions focused on children, with libraries promoting literacy and environmental awareness
to the next generation. Some projects are very low-cost, illuminating how a library can successfully create
environmental awareness in children without big money.
The economic disparities between the submissions raised other questions in terms of judging projects with
variable consumption levels. Some of the countries do not have national waste policy or recycling programs
while others maintain rigorous laws to protect the environment. It was also noted that some of the libraries
are still in the process of developing a project, while some have well-defined sustainability structures in
place. This made the comparison hard. Reviewers wrestled with the definition of a “green library” (e.g. tree
planting, recycling, re-using) and how to also reward creativity, novelty, or the best solution to a real
problem in hand. Should the project be rewarded based on the aim to stop climate change, or is it sufficient
to raise awareness in citizens? There are no definite answers to these questions since there are no widely
accepted criteria for “green libraries.” In the end, reviewers made their own decisions and pooled their
responses. The final winner was awarded as an excellent example of a green library. All aspects, especial
library building but also services, users and professionals are paid attention. In addition Fosham library
connects past and future to the sustainable development.
Hungary: “Library-Greening: Environmental education, strengthening of the environmentally aware attitudes
with traditional and non-traditional resources”
The Jozsef Attila County and City Library in Tatabánya (http://www.jamk.hu) developed innovative and
well received consciousness raising programs to increase community awareness of the importance of
sustainable and ecologically sound development practices. The library takes their sustainability message
into local schools and communities and encourages the uptake of green policies and practices. The library
used an holistic approach to consciousness raising through children’s games, community film events, eco
competitions for schools and the green reading room to name but a few of their programs.
Romania: “Sirna Rural Library cultivates involved citizens”
The Biblioteca Comunala Sirna, Prahova county (http://bibliotecasirna.blogspot.com/), is a great example of
how libraries can and must advocate in their local communities for environmental care and above all: with
the young generations – it is very difficult to reach local authorities in some countries, but this library
efforts were huge. The library has made significant progress with a range of programs that have changed the
community – with very little budget but huge outcomes – children as leaders for others.The library has
developed impressive partnerships with local, regional and national organizations to provide ongoing
education in sustainability practices. See also
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8ws0ta86qst1nsd/AACQoVy8yNXN2fj5R2miB1Cpa?dl=0
Croatia: “Green Festival – Lets Go Green”
The National and University Library in Zagreb (http://www.nsk.hr) and its Green Festival shows great
leadership across many sectors. The Lets Go Green Festival presented the latest scientific research in
sustainability issues through lectures and talks and allowed green businesses to introduce their products and
services to a wider audience. The festival promoted sustainable agriculture and food science, green
technology, green energy and green building design and methods and materials.
Iran: “Designing a Green Library Evaluation checklist”
The National Library and Archives of Iran, Tehran (http://www.nlai.ir/), have created something new and
useful for every library, a checklist to evaluate a green library. Evaluating is important when planning and
developing services and functions. It is interesting since the project is working on general guidelines more
than on a single building. There are indicators so the study clarifies the existing situation, highlights success
but also the needs. This could serve libraries as a road map towards green library. Extensive research and
logical cohesive methods enabled the creation of a valuable planning checklist for current and future
libraries and communities. The checklist encourages evaluation, self-reflection and continuous
improvement in sustainability practices and identifies areas of deficiency and pathways for improvement.
Kenya: “USIU-Africa: Garden in the library”
The USIU-Africa (United States International University-Africa) library (http://www.usiu.ac.ke) is an
enormously large green building with a library garden with trees, plants and everything for a green
environment that also provides a good air for users and staff. The flat roof gives the harvest of rainwater to
water the garden with. The gardens giving the library and outdoor effect. The plants give the library an
ambience and homely feeling. The paper gives a more practical in approach as building and practices within
tough economic realities. It shows libraries in Africa have also embraced the green movement, it is
applicable in new buildings and can be used as a good benchmark, the methodology is very sound. The
concept is original and shows innovativeness in the library practice in Africa.
Petra Hauke, July 17, 2018
출처 https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/environmental-sustainability-and-libraries/news/_pressrelease_greenlibraryaward2018.pdf
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