Libraries’ environmentally sustainable practices and services in California, Florida, and Georgia

Abstract

This article reports findings from an exploratory survey study of library workers in California, Florida, and Georgia on their observations of libraries’ environmentally sustainable practices and services, and their perceptions of libraries’ roles and challenges in promoting environmental sustainability in the community. Findings from this study show that the most common environmentally sustainable practice in these libraries is to reduce, reuse, and recycle (3Rs). The respondents view libraries as primarily the information providers and educators on environmental sustainability. Lack of money, time, and community buy-in as well as the risk of being perceived as politicizing the topic are the top challenges faced by libraries when promoting environmental sustainability in the community, followed by the competing priorities faced by the libraries as well as the lack of expertise. Findings from this study contribute to the continuous effort to systematically study this topic and to identify the support libraries need to promote environmental sustainability in the community effectively.