IFLA Green Library Award 2020 Winners Announced

The IFLA Green Library Award was established in 2016 by ENSULIB (SIG) and generously sponsored by De Gruyter publishing. The award is 500 Euros for the first place winner.

To ENSULIB’s great delight, more than 50 submissions were received from around the world, from Asia, Africa, Europe and America for Green Library Award 2020. 

Press Release

See full details about this year’s award in the Press Release: [English – PDF]

The award will be presented at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Dublin, Ireland, on 18 August 2020, in ENSULIB’s IFLA Green Library Award Session at 11:45, Liffey Hall 1 Theatre, and in IFLA’s Special Presentation of Awards Session at 12:45, Expo Pavillon.

Winner of the 5^th IFLA Green Library Award 2020

Thailand, Rangsit University Library – “Rangsit University Library and Sustainable Environment Management Report”

Rangsit University Library is a private institution, yet it is accessible to locals and reaches out to local schools and a prison as well as teachers and students. In terms of educating the community, this library holds activities to enhance a leadership role for environmental sustainable management. They have committed themselves to sustainability goals as a managerial framework, and this shows in their professional, systematic and well-documented approach. Sustainability permeates nearly all of their infrastructure, operations and educational goals in an exceptional way. The library monitors its energy, paper and water usage as well as other activities, thus making it possible to evaluate how well the goals are being met. [more]

Five Runners Up

(in alphabetic order)

China, Hangzhou Public Library  – “Our Green Mission Defend the City: Hangzhou Public Library’s Approach by Establishing Environment Branch to Get Involved”

Hangzhou Public Library is unique in its approach to siting the library on land previously used for a landfill and incorporating a tour of nearby landfill services. Architecturally, the library blends with its natural surroundings, using innovative green solutions for lighting, heating, furniture, recycling and growing plants on is premises. The staff are dedicated to educating Hangzhou’s public via various programmes and classes about local environmental challenges that are also globally significant. [More]

Croatia, Public Library “Juraj Šižgorić”, Sibenik – “Project Green Library”

Here we have a public library whose engagement with their community goes beyond green building and library collections, to programmes that enhance mental and physical well-being. Educational programmes focusing on healthy lifestyles include art workshops with green and sustainability concepts, ecological contests and film screenings. [More]

Hungary, Ezüsthegy Library, Budapest – “Library in the Garden, Garden in the Library – Green Complexity in the Life of a Public Library”

This library makes eco-awareness a principal feature: they have created an “Eco Corner”, a herb garden and a herbal tea room, a teaching garden, and a seed exchange. They serve a broad and varied audience, with an emphasis on community building, healthy lifestyle and cultural activities. They cooperate with local NGOs and municipal authorities and have completed an extensive green renovation programme. [More]

Senegal, Lambaye Learning Center – “An Ecological Learning Center”

Senegal’s Lambaye Learning Centre displays a clear understanding of sustainability along with their practical community-oriented focus. Lambaye Center is one of the few reviewed proposals located in a rural milieu, responding to the vital needs of poorer people in ecologically vulnerable region. Green thinking permeates all aspects of physical infrastructure, including rainwater collection, a waste disposal system and solar panels. The design incorporated recycled materials whenever possible, including materials for innovative furniture.  Most important is their social mission to educate the community with gardening, health and environmental knowledge, empowering rural women from nearby villages. [More]

Sri Lanka, Battaramulla, National Environmental Information Centre – “Protect Environment Through the Information”

Sri Lanka’s impressively well-thought-out National Environmental Information Centre co-ordinates and organizes the use of scientific and social scientific knowledge for environmental and sustainability goals, with a wide variety of activities and community outreach. Archiving and dispersing environmental information, their well-planned projects put that knowledge to work to meet sustainable development goals. [More]