Building Sustainable Libraries: a ISM-Based Investigation of Adoption Challenges

Abstract

As sustainability garners global focus, academic institutions are progressively acknowledging the role of libraries in fostering environmental stewardship. Green libraries have become crucial proponents of sustainable methods in the knowledge and information sector. The execution of green library programs is constrained by numerous significant obstacles. This study seeks to investigate and comprehensively evaluate the principal barriers that impede the implementation of sustainable practices in academic libraries. Data were collected from many stakeholders, including administrators, librarians, and faculty members, through structured interviews. The study utilizes Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) as a methodological framework to discover, categorize, and delineate the contextual linkages among the obstacles impeding on adoption of green practices. The investigation identified six principal obstacles such as, insufficient awareness and comprehension of sustainable practices, budgetary restrictions, weak institutional regulations, infrastructure deficiencies, resistance to change among personnel, and the absence of recognized concrete advantages. These obstacles hindered the incorporation of sustainable practices and underscored a greater necessity for strategic alignment, resource distribution, and capacity enhancement within academic institutions. The ISM model applied in this study established a hierarchical framework of these barriers, facilitating the identification of their causal and dependent relationships. For example, insufficient awareness and policy deficiencies were fundamental difficulties that affected additional obstacles, such as resistance to change and infrastructural challenges. The findings provide essential insights for politicians, university administrators, and library professionals by delineating a clear framework for tackling the most significant obstacles. Recommendations encompass the establishment of awareness initiatives, the modification of institutional policies to align with sustainability objectives, the acquisition of dedicated financing, and the incorporation of sustainability into library design and operations. By proactively tackling these obstacles, academic institutions can progress towards establishing green libraries that preserve resources and exemplify environmental stewardship within the educational ecosystem.