United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Development and Libraries

The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) wants to show the power of libraries in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has asked library associations around the world to join in a global effort. ALA's Task Force on United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), part of Julius C. Jefferson's initiatives is developing a multi-year strategic plan to increase participation by libraries in efforts to achieve the Goals.

Libraries are key players in achieving the UN Sustainability Development Goals, according to Barbara Lison, President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). We talked to her about the 17 goals, actionable steps librarians can take, and the importance of advocating.

Libraries for Sustainable Development (LSD) is a project of the Libraries for Peace (L4P) Initiative of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA). LSD promotes the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by serving as a hub for resources on library efforts to advance sustainable development across the globe, and the access point to our Information Action Brief (IAB) series. Each IAB uses the format of a policy brief and serves as a resource and action guide to develop and create transformational actions using information to advance the SDGs.

IFLA advocates for libraries to be recognised as essential partners for inclusive, sustainable development, through their work to provide meaningful access to information for all.

The SDG Book Club aims to use books as a tool to encourage children ages 6-12 to interact with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a curated reading list ofbooks from around the world related to each of the 17 SDGs in all six official UN languages—Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

In 2019, USQ Library undertook a mapping exercise to reflect upon, and highlight its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals were adopted by UN members in 2015 to provide “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future”. There are 17 goals with 169 targets and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) contributed to the development of the goals. We engaged staff across the Library to develop understanding about the SDGs and reflect on how the Library’s purpose and vision align with these goals. This mapping exercise led to applying the SDGs as a framework with which to evaluate outcomes and actions.

For 2020, USQ Library has chosen again to base our assessment of our services, projects and action plans on this framework. In addition to mapping the 2020 Library action goals against the University’s strategic goals and the UN SDGs, we tracked our progress and final outcomes as well as identified other initiatives and activities that emerged during the challenges faced by library staff as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Library Report recognises the agile and transformative ways in which USQ Library staff has responded to the pandemic. Further to this, we looked for opportunities to enable staff to identify where their professional and personal values intersect with the SDGs. As one example, some Library teams and individual staff aligned their own 2020 professional goals with SDGs. We have sought to include those voices in the stories included in our 2020 report.

How has the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) Library helped contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable future?  In this second volume of UniSQ Library Stories, staff and students share stories on how the Library's services, programs, and outcomes align with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).