Aligarh: Aligarh Muslim University faculty member from the Department of Library and Information Science, Prof PM Naushad Ali shed light on how libraries can extend the environmental benefit through sustainable practices and green buildings—seeking to minimize consumption of resources with their day-to-day operations.

He was delivering an online lecture on ‘Green Libraries with special emphasis on Climate Change’ at the 37th IATLIS International Conference of the Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science and the University of Calcutta, West Bengal.

Chairing a session on ‘Sustainable Libraries-Green Libraries and other Sustainability Matters’, Prof Naushad Ali highlighted the importance of green library standards, needs, and features of the green library, green library buildings, and green library initiatives in India. He also gave an overview of various green library programs.

Prof Ali said: “Librarians have a big role to play amid a global movement of ‘greening libraries’. They are required to propagate sustainability through environment-friendly activities and awareness programmes at a time when scientists are warning about the tipping points in climate change. Institutions need to change for the sake of repairing the planet”.

He emphasized that all buildings including libraries should be designed to minimize the negative impact on the natural environment with environment-friendly construction, use of biodegradable products, conservation of resources, and proper waste disposal among other things.

A course on Green Library should be included in the Library and Information Science curriculum, he suggested.