This is the beginning of our new blog series. Join us to find out what librarians are thinking about the sustainable development.

Sustainable living is about ethical choices. By making choices, we decide what kind of society we build. What kind of society do we want to live and work in? All human activity leaves a mark on the environment and on the people around us, and consumes raw materials. We cannot cease to exist, but we can decide what kind of consumption and impact our activities have.

Borrowing books also consumes – does it matter?

The core idea of the library is based on reusing and sharing things. Therefore, it is natural that we consider the role of sustainable development in libraries and the world of higher education together.

When you look at things from different perspectives, you can see, for example, how borrowing books consumes energy and raw materials – and, on the other hand, what kind of value it produces for people. Cause-and-effect chains can be long, but they help to make visible the impacts of the activities on the environment, people and society. In this way, we can find things that are already on the right track and, on the other hand, points where we can change our operations to be more sustainable.

Do you find the topic interesting? Come and have a chat with the library staff and follow our blog posts.