Treading the Green Path at Panjab University Library (India)

Abstract

Over the years, climate change has become the world’s largest environmental problem affecting every nation on a social and economic level. It has caused rise in sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events like hurricanes, droughts, and
floods, which have lowered food production, interfered with ecosystems, impacted water supplies, and raised risks for various health related disorders. In terms of attaining the objectives of green buildings and sustainable development, India has been catching up to the western nations with persistent efforts at various policy development levels by creating plans for the construction and upkeep of green buildings. To address the environmental issues while planning and creating new facilities, buildings that utilise and consume energy efficiently while maintaining the comfort and productivity must be designed and developed, to be ecologically responsible. Green libraries or sustainable libraries are those that are built with environmental concerns in mind and use its resources, environmentally friendly and sustainable infrastructure, and public library services to educate the public about environmental issues. The goal of the current study was to examine the initiatives and current state of the green initiatives implemented by Panjab University in Chandigarh for both its departmental and central libraries (A.C. Joshi Library) with respect to its infrastructure as well as initiatives in the various sections. The study concluded that even though some attempts have been taken in this area, more efforts and further steps are required to achieve a completely functional green library to safeguard the interests of the patrons and planet Earth.