Sustainability at the University Library Greifswald

In line with the university's mission statement, the Sustainable Development Goals and as part of the university's sustainability activities, Greifswald University Library is committed to sustainability and the implementation of sustainable projects in the areas of services, energy, buildings, mobility and logistics. On the way to becoming a ‘Green Library’, the University Library is active on several levels:

as an institution with implemented and further planned projects in the area of climate protection/sustainability,
as a central location for visualising library-specific but also university-wide sustainability activities and
as an easily accessible centre for specialist information and scientific communication on the subject of sustainability and climate protection (specialist scientific information, events, exhibitions, etc.).

The University Library cooperates with other local sustainability actors (such as the Public Library Greifswald and Library of the Greifswald Mire Centre) and is also involved in supra-regional networks such as the ‘Network Sustainability – academic libraries’ of the Netzwerk Grüne Bibliothek e.V.

We are on the way to a green library system!

The University Library Greifswald shows with a Green Library Poster which social and ecological sustainability measures are already being implemented. Following the template of the ‘IFLA Section Environment, Sustainability and Libraries’, the poster also presents services that sustainably support users in their studies, teaching and research. Our goal as a green library is to integrate environmentally friendly behaviour and working methods into library services in such a way that awareness of ‘green’ issues and problems is raised among both staff and users.

Major projects in the area of energy and buildings included geothermal operation in the Departmental Library in 2015 and an LED conversion in the Central University Library in 2017, which are also explained in more detail in the best practice collection for sustainable library work. In 2023, the University Library carried out a review and revision of printing behaviour both in the staff area and with regard to library services, resulting in significant savings in equipment, toner and paper.

The University Library as Climate-Friendly Facility

The University Library was the first university facility to receive the ‘Climate-Friendly Facility’ award. All organisational units were invited to take part in the competition by submitting ideas for improving the carbon footprint or measures that have already been implemented. Five organisations took part in the competition and their entries were evaluated by the Senate's Sustainability Commission and the Sustainability Officer. The University Library impressed the jury with the holistic nature of its approach (‘Green Library’), the process-based nature of the measures and the intended specific use of the prize money of 2,000 euros for technical upgrades to further reduce energy consumption in library operations. The library clearly shows how the university's goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030 can be achieved.

Sustainability Prizes 2024 Awarded at the University of Greifswald