Sustainability spotlight

GREENING THE STACKS

Libraries by their very nature support basic the tenets of sustainability. Their volumes provide a free and reusable resource to the public while preserving knowledge and culture for future generations. Libraries reduce the need for multiple printed copies of books by circulating just one copy, and with more and more resources available electronically, they are reducing the need for printed volumes at all. However, through new educational opportunities and a few changes in operational practices, Information Services is going beyond this basic form of sustainability to bring a little more green to KU Libraries.

Starting this year, Information Services is hosting a sustainability-themed Community of Interest, an informal opportunity for Information Services staff to meet and discuss issues of shared interest. Their “greenbag” series on sustainability was started in January by libraries sustainability ambassador, Amalia Monroe. Monroe says the focus of the community is to promote sustainability at home and in the workplace. The first meeting included a presentation by Center for Sustainability Director Jeff Severin and a discussion of what individuals can do to reduce their impact on the planet. The next “greenbag” will focus on rain gardens, with a presentation from students involved in the design and planting of the KU Student Rain Garden to be planted on Earth Day, April 22. The group hopes to use the Community of Interest as an opportunity to share ideas, raise awareness among staff and provide additional resources on living more sustainably.

Information Services is also planning a “green week” during the week of Earth Day to raise awareness among their staff. Each day during the week will have a theme highlighting small steps people can take towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Topics include alternative transportation, recycling, energy conservation and sustainable food choices.

Meanwhile, changes in operations at KU Libraries are resulting in real reductions to resource use. In Anschutz Library, energy savings are being realized by turning off unneeded lights throughout the building. By turning on only those lights that are necessary to provide adequate lighting and implementing other energy conservation practices, energy use at the Library has dropped by nearly one third when compared to last year.

Equipment at both libraries is also helping cut back on paper use. “Express Scanning Stations” have recently been installed at both Anschutz and Watson, providing a means to quickly scan pages of a book, maps and other large documents, and even three dimensional objects.These stations, which were paid for with private contributions, allow users to either save the scan to a flash drive or send it as an attachment to their e-mail account. This feature not only helps reduce paper used to make copies, but saves users the cost of printing those copies. Thanks to generous donors, two more stations are being purchased for Spencer Research Library and the Murphy Art and Architecture Library.

While efforts by Information Services are just getting started, the department is demonstrating that through educational experiences and just a few small changes to operations, we can save energy, cut costs and take steps toward a more sustainable future.