In the pursuit of sustainable library model – on the example of the UWM University Library's activities in Olsztyn

Abstract

In the third decade of the 21st century, the guidelines of sustainability have become a guarantor of care for the natural goods, social and economic balance, and cultural heritage of modern society. Based on Polish and foreign literature, the following article shows the evolution of the idea, term, and causal mechanisms of sustainability. The topic of sustainability is shown through the prism of library science, with special attention to its economic, social, environmental, and also cultural dimensions. The discussion of the evolution of the sustainable library model’s implementation is supported by a description of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn activities (which has been implementing the Green University project since 2013) and the University Library operating within its framework. The author of the article describes to what extent the library has become an implementer of the university's environmental, social, economic sustainability strategy by organizing a number of promotional initiatives of both local and national scope.