Sustainable and Green Libraries in Brazil: Guidelines for Local Governments

Brazil, a world leader in natural resources, has been taking measures in order to guarantee an effective implementation of public policies, as well as effective environmental and educational management in its practices and services by aiming at environmental sustainability. However, regarding the Library Science field, specially the sector of Public Libraries, the roles and responsibilities of these institutions and librarians are little discussed in this scenario. This paper assumes that public libraries are institutions supported by the government, therefore they should be the first institutions to incorporate principles of sustainability and turn themselves into models of green cultural facilities in the country. This work presents a brief scenario of Brazilian public libraries, especially the Biblioteca Parque do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, the only facility of its kind that has achieved the Gold LEED Environmental Certificate. It also discusses the Ministry of Environment’s Sala Verde project, which offers a collection of environmental books which aim at fostering the development of green rooms and their patrimony for environmental education and sustainability in Brazilian libraries. This study also suggests national guidelines for the implementation of public policies for green and sustainable libraries in the country. The objective is to stimulate such implementation in local and state governments.