The sustainable activities of the university library

A public library is, in principle, a sustainable institution in which books and other media are made available to all members of the society (usually free of charge) and are often reused.

In particular, a few points can be highlighted for the University Library of the University of Arts:

• Since the beginning of the 2023/24 academic year, the electronic devices at the user workstations in the University Library have remained switched off as an energy-saving measure. Everyone can of course switch on any device themselves if required.
• German-language literature is purchased from local bookshops, with ordered titles even being collected on foot. Foreign-language and older works come from a German supplier, whereby the main supplier has implemented numerous climate protection measures, e.g. electric vehicle fleet, living island for insects, shipping boxes made of grass paper, use of sustainable office materials, purchase of electricity from renewable sources, etc.
• All 12 employees of the University Library travel to and from work exclusively by public transport, on foot or by bicycle.
• Packaging material (interlibrary loan, exchange of documents, in-house mail) is reused as often as possible.
• The University Library has already organized several flea markets and has set up a place (table or shelf) for book swaps both in the past (alternative location Urfahr 2016 - 2019) and now.
• Disposable tableware is generally not used at all library events.
• Every public library is also a social space that was used as a "warming room" at the university last winter, for example.
• Since 2022, the University Library has also been a member of the "Green Library Network" and promotes a collection of "sustainability-media" on a "repurposed shelf space".
• Currently, the children's library focuses on purchasing gender-sensitive picture books. On Nov. 29, 2023, a "Diverse afternoon of storytelling" took place. On April 25, 2024, a picture book reading will take place for the "Day of the Tree".
• A user survey is planned for 2024 to determine the need for a "Library of Things".
   

Contact: Mag. (FH) Irene Prähauser, MA / Last edited on: April 17, 2024