In an announcement on Monday 27th October, Lancaster University Library declared they have signed the Green Libraries Manifesto.
The document is hosted by CILIP, who have partnered with Libraries Connected, The British Library, Arts Council England, and Julie’s Bicycle to put the commitment into writing.
The manifesto has been signed by a number of libraries across the UK who have done so to commit to its sustainability-focused pledges.
These pledges include: Championing environmental sustainability in decision-making, innovation and evolution, bottom-up approaches, effectively using libraries’ voices, close community work, improvement and sharing of knowledge, and supporting young people.
This manifesto signing follows years of Lancaster University’s ongoing efforts to improve their sustainability.
The library works closely with the institution’s Sustainability Team to make their facilities as environmentally friendly as possible. The team aims to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as well as the university’s own goal of reducing its carbon emissions to net zero by 2035.
In a statement following the signing, the library’s Associate Director of Space, Innovation and Experience, Tim Leonard, said: “We’re excited to sign the Green Libraries Manifesto. The Library has undertaken a range of sustainability focused initiatives over the last few years.”
Tim went on to say, “We’ve become more deeply involved with sustainability governance and networks at the University, and have worked with our Facilities team to ensure our building operates in a more energy-efficient manner. We’ve also curated and highlighted sustainability-focused resources from our collections.”
“Signing the Manifesto reaffirms our commitment to sustainability and will help us to plan future work.”
Green Libraries Week starts on Monday 27th October this year, and Lancaster University are celebrating for the first time.
For this event, the library’s sustainability-centred resources are being displayed front and centre in the library building on campus. This environmental focus also extends to the library’s online catalogue of resources.
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