How Academic and Research Libraries Can Contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)?��LIB-TAN Talk # 18

Manoranjan Satpathy

Date: 2^nd Dec 2023

Table of Content

• Introduction
• About UN SDGs
• Goals
• Role of A&R Libraries to contribute towards achieving these goals
• Where we stand
• Conclusion

Source: https://www.unodc.org/dohadeclaration/en/topics/sustainable-development-goals.html

Source: Indian Diplomacy Twitter (X) handle

Date of post: Jan 28, 2017

Introduction

• Need to set an agenda to contribute towards achiving sustainable development goals. Because:
• The traditional library sphere has been challenged in the last two decades; and
• Many of the traditional assumptions in the world of libraries are being re-questioned or reshuffled in the post-Covid 19 age
• Libraries around the world offer a wide range of products and services that promote the achievement of each and every one of the SDGs.
• From promoting literacy, to offering free access to information, libraries are safe, welcoming spaces, at the heart of communities

What is UN SDGs and Agenda for 2030

• United Nations formulated the Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs) in 2000 to implement it during 2000 to 2015 with 8 goals
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015 to implement it during 2016 to 2030 with a set of 17 goals.
• 5Ps dimensions of 2030 SDGs Agenda: People, Prosperity, Planet, Partnership and Peace
• Core elements of SDGs: : Social inclusion, Economic growth, and Environmental protection

What are the reasons for underlining these issues at a global level?

• Lack of awareness or moral education
• Illiteracy and lack of quality education
• Unemployment
• Lack of accountability
• Lack dedicated policy
• Lack of right information at the age of information exploitation
• Limited access to information

Why Libraries Matters

• Vision: A world with universal literacy
• Aim to act more than just bookkeeper / information resource hub
• Act as Information facilitator and community connector

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SDGs and Action Points for Academic and Research Libraries�

A point point by Analysis

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere (No Poverty)

Why?

• Unemployment
• Social exclusion
• Disasters,
• Diseases and
• Other phenomena

Action Points

• Public access to Information (Open Access)
• Training in new skill for education and employment
• Acquiring Information to support decision making to combat poverty
• Initiating mobile libraries

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Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Why

• conflict
• climate
• rising cost of living,
• civil insecurity
• declining food production

Action Points

• provide access to research and data on crops, market information, and farming methods
• Provide access to information in local languages
• Agriculture Research Institute libraries can give training to farmers on ICT and new technology in farming

Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (Good health and Well-being)

Measures

• Health coverage
• Safe and affordable medicines
• Vaccination rate
• Improved Immunization
• Awareness

Action Points

• Acquire Resources of print an online that supports medical practice
• Public access to health and welfare information
• organising and participating in first aid training

Goal 4: Quality Education

Measures

• Basic reading skills
• Free and compulsory education
• Increasing the number of teachers
• Improving basic school infrastructure and
• Embracing digital transformation

Action Points

• Trained and dedicated staff
• Access to information for members in campus as well as in remote
• Every user has space in library for free of cost

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (Gender Equality)

Why?

• Sexual violence and exploitation
• Unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work
• Discrimination in workplace

Action Points

• Safe and welcoming reading and meeting space
• Equal opportunity and services to all user categories

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Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all (Clean water and sanitation)

Why?

• water scarcity
• water pollution
• degraded water-related ecosystems and
• cooperation over transboundary water basins

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy (Affordable and Clean Energy)

• Expanding infrastructure
• upgrading technology

Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all (Decent work and Economic Growth)

Challanges

• Lack of decent work opportunities,
• insufficient investments and
• Under-consumption contribute to the erosion of the basic social contract

Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation (Industries, Innovation and Infrastructure)

Challanges

• Investments in infrastructure
• Investments in information and communication technology
• Invest in advanced technologies,
• Increase mobile broadband access

Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries

How?

• Discrimination in any form
• Low investment in health, education, social protection and decent jobs

Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Challanges

• High energy consumption and
• High pollution
• High concentration of people

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

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• Reducing waste generation
• Promoting circular economy practices
• Designing products for longevity, repairability, and recyclability
• Reusing, refurbishing, and recycling products to minimize waste and resource depletion

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Goal 13: Climate Action

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• climate-resilient development

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Goal 14: Life Below Water

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• conserving oceans by reducing irresponsible exploitation

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Goal 15: Life on Land

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• upbring the balance of nature and make fragile free ecosystems

Goal 16: Promote justice, peaceful and inclusive societies (

Challenge

• People everywhere should be free of fear from all forms of violence
• Providing access to justice for all
• People should be feel safe as they go about their lives

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Challange

• partnership and cooperation to ensure no one is left behind

Library services contribute to (SDGs) by

• Promoting universal literacy, including media and information literacy, and digital literacy skills
• Closing gaps in access to information and helping government, civil society and business to better understand local information needs
• Providing a network of delivery sites for government programmes and services
• Advancing digital inclusion through access to ICT, and dedicated staff to help people develop new digital skills
• Serving as the heart of the research and academic community
• Preserving and providing access to the world’s culture and heritage
• More specifically, libraries can support the implementation of the SDGs by providing access to information, support for literacy and ICT skills, and access to community space.

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Access to Information (A2I)

Govt. Open Data initiative

SDG progress at the midpoint

Source: The SDGs Report 2023

Let’s Discuss: Where IITGN Library Stands in contributing to achieve these goals?

References

• https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/contribution-libraries-sdgs#:~:text=Through%20a%20diverse%20range%20of,with%20local%20government%20to%20help
• https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

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