Comparative study of 5 countries on how libraries contribute to SDGs

Abstract

Libraries are essential societal stakeholders that can contribute to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As centers of information, libraries can play a critical role in the dissemination of research and knowledge. As a key resource, libraries are always at the forefront of education and awareness creation. This poster studies the involvement of academic libraries with sustainable development in different countries and explores the factors affecting the extend of this involvement. For this study, five countries namely Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, North Macedonia, and Türkiye were selected and academic libraries in these countries are invited to fill a survey. These countries were chosen because of their geographical proximity, similar socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and corresponding librarianship approaches. In addition, the fact that there is no story from any of these countries in the SDGs section of the IFLA Library Map of the World has been decisive in the country selection. North Macedonia was left out of the analysis due to no response. Low response rate from other four countries reminds a further need for using tools other than survey to expend the analysis. Despite the low response rate, results are highlighting rising awareness among academic libraries and librarians.