Environmental Sustainability and Libraries
Eileen McElrath, Susan Sutherland

Introduction
Shrinking glaciers, melting ice caps, and wide ranges in temperature provide evidence that global warming is occurring although politicians and some scientists disagree about the reality. Libraries probably do not come into mind when one thinks of global warming and climate change. Libraries, however, consume large amounts of energy that contribute to the problem and many library buildings were built before knowledge about global warming and climate change was widely recognized. Considering the seriousness of global warming and climate change and its impact around the globe, there is a need for green libraries that apply environmentally friendly policies and practices. This research reviews literature to establish the current view of global warming and climate change, describes environmentally safe policies and practices for library buildings, describe environmentally safe policies and practices for information technology, describe environmentally safe policies/practices for library services, and offers suggestions for libraries to implement.

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