Roles of libraries in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Abstract

Sustainable development has become prominency across the globe while travelling towards transforming the world in 2030 based on the United Nations’ (UN) proclamation. The UN has formulated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets in 2015 that span 15 years to be achieved. The action plan for SDG proclaims to realize the development based on people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership, which are the major notions, and SDGs consider mainly three aspects, such as Economic, Social, and Environmental perspectives. UN expects “a world free of poverty, hunger, disease, fear, and violence”. Furthermore, it expects “a world with universal literacy, equitable and universal access to education, and health care”. Social protection, human rights, safe drinking water, sanitation, and improved hygiene, sufficient and nutritious food, and universal access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy are some more expectations. So far,10 years have passed in this venture, and nearly five years more to work to achieve these goals. At present, most of the higher education institutions are designing and progressively instigating deliberate actions steering towards SDGs; libraries should think about how they could contribute. Do the activities of libraries align with the parent organizations related to SDGs? Academic libraries are recognised as pivotal role players under the higher education system, contributing significantly to the achievement of the SDGs. There is a notion that university libraries are defined as the ‘heart’ of the academic institutions. While revising the concept, communities are considered the ‘heart’ of the libraries. This may be an academic or public, or any other type of library. They serve the closer or wider communities based on their requirements. Without a certain community, libraries no more to exist.