Green libraries and green librarianship – Towards conceptualization

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 1990s, libraries have been undertaking a number of activities aimed at minimizing their negative impact on the environment. Those that show such activity are called ‘green libraries’. This term appears in scientific, professional and popular science literature, but its definitions are vague and ambiguous. A preliminary analysis of the content of publications dealing with the issue of green libraries shows a modest representation of theoretical and synthetic texts. This article aims to fill this gap. It has three goals: (1) clarification of the term ‘green library’, (2) conceptualization of the term ‘green librarianship’ and (3) determination of ‘green librarianship’ areas. To achieve them, first, an analysis of the environmental discourse on green libraries and green librarianship in library science literature was performed to abstract green library indicators. Then, these indicators were verified. The selection of the sample for research was deliberate. The materials were collected using the Library, Information Science & Technology Abstract (LISTA) bibliographic and abstract database. As a result, the number of green library indicators has been extended, which has made it possible to clarify the definition of this term. The definition of ‘green librarianship’ was then formulated, and the areas of green librarianship were indicated. Conceptualization of the terms ‘green library’ and ‘green librarianship’ constitutes the value of this article. The practical implication of the study is the expansion of the number of green library indicators. These indicators can be used to develop a codebook for the content analysis of documents in the discussed area. This article may also contribute to the development of methods for the evaluation of activities and development of green libraries.