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Libraries

Libraries’ open spaces, services, and lendable materials promote ecological sustainability in the spirit of the sharing economy. Libraries also play a significant role in raising environmental awareness and are working to make their own operations more sustainable.

Sofia Koistinen

The Finnish library network consists of public (municipal) libraries, the National Library affiliated with the University of Helsinki, university, university of applied sciences, and special libraries, as well as school and educational institution libraries and state-maintained libraries such as the Celia Accessibility Library and the National Repository Library. Libraries operate both locally and through collaborative networks, such as regional public library consortia. The library sector also includes numerous associations and societies, such as the Finnish Research Library Association.

Public libraries operate under the Library Act. Their duties include providing access to materials, information, and cultural content, promoting reading and literature, and offering spaces for learning, hobbies, work, and civic engagement. The operations of the National Library are also governed by law, such as the Universities Act. The National Library is responsible for managing the national publication heritage, acts as a national service and development institution for libraries, and promotes international library cooperation.

In 2024, libraries reached nearly 1.6 million Finns. According to statistics, there were 706 public library service points and 118 mobile libraries. Libraries received over 50 million visits and recorded more than 85 million loans. They organized nearly 56,000 events and about 33,000 user training sessions.

The 2023 Finns and Libraries survey combined library visit statistics with data on usage habits. According to the study, 70% of Finns had visited a library in the previous year (2022). Six percent did so at least once a week and 24% one to three times a month. Two-thirds of families with children had visited the library with their children. The study found that Finns value libraries as trusted sources of information and digital content, and appreciate their role as cultural event venues. The interview study was conducted by Kantar Public for the Finnish Library Association.

Sustainability Work Is the Sum of Many Parts

The basic functions of public libraries promote ecological sustainability: libraries are open spaces that provide various publications, tools, and services based on shared resources. Library staff are also committed to influencing environmental issues, including the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, and to sharing environmental knowledge.

However, libraries are much more than their basic services. Recent projects in the library field have challenged perceptions about the sufficiency of environmental efforts and mapped impactful actions that libraries can take. Libraries are working to increase organizational environmental awareness, establish environmental networks, and advance environmental management practices.

The national Green Library website serves as a hub for the environmental work of public libraries. It shares information on environmental projects, tools, and training materials. It also offers a carbon footprint calculator developed in the Green Library project, enabling individual libraries to track their climate emissions and compare them to the national average. Based on 2023 calculations aligned with the international GHG Protocol, the largest emission sources for libraries are customer travel, heating, and materials and other acquisitions. By contrast, waste, e-resources, and website use have a minimal impact on emissions.

Identifying the major emission sources helps target the most effective actions. However, planning measures also requires considering the limits of library influence and the interconnectedness of environmental issues. For example, a building’s heating system depends on decisions made by municipalities or property owners. Waste management may not have a large climate impact but is crucial for preserving natural resources.

In 2020, the project Environmental Awareness in Public Libraries Toward the 2020s surveyed 166 libraries. Most had environmental programs or goals, but environmental concerns were less prioritized than other drivers of change. Staff cited difficulties in reducing emissions due to external decision-making and limited resources for improving buildings and increasing usage.

Libraries do have control over their collections and materials. Practical actions include optimizing logistics, reducing unnecessary shipments, extending the lifecycle of materials, and minimizing plastic coverings for books.

Libraries also play an important role in environmental education and teaching sustainable life skills. Activities include themed reading campaigns, clothing repair workshops, eco-themed shelves, and curated selections of environmental fiction and nonfiction. The goal is to reduce negative impacts and strengthen libraries’ positive environmental handprint.

Shared Goals as a Foundation for Sustainability Work

Recent library projects have built a knowledge base and shared sustainability goals. Libraries’ work is also guided by municipal or city-level climate and environmental policies and frameworks like the EcoCompass environmental management system.
The Environmental Awareness in Public Libraries Toward the 2020s project identified six UN Sustainable Development Goals relevant to libraries. Based on these, national public library sustainability goals were defined:

• Good Health and Well-being: Reading promotes well-being; library users live longer.
• Quality Education: Libraries support reading and lifelong learning. Environmental themes are integrated into story hours, exhibitions, and events.
• Reduced Inequalities: Libraries are free and open to all. They reject discrimination and bullying and act as responsible employers.
• Sustainable Cities and Communities: Libraries follow municipal environmental guidelines and often have their own environmental programs, certifications, or support systems.
• Responsible Consumption: Libraries are pioneers in the circular economy and platforms for sharing. They reduce consumption by offering shared tools and spaces.
• Climate Action: Libraries recycle, conserve energy, provide reliable environmental information, and support information literacy.

Sustainability goals often serve as the foundation for libraries’ environmental programmes. Libraries develop these programmes either independently or in collaboration with other libraries. For example, in 2024, a roadmap for sustainable development was created through a collaboration of six libraries in Southwest Finland. The roadmap aims to meet the national public library sustainability goals and to strengthen libraries’ roles as centers of the circular economy and enablers of sustainable lifestyles—places where people can find calm, focus, and deepen their understanding. In assessing their operations, the libraries in the region strive to consider not only their environmental footprint but also their positive handprint—their beneficial impacts on the environment, society, and people.

The Oulu City Library created the Sustainable Library 2030 roadmap in 2020 to support its environmental efforts. The roadmap is based on all of the UN’s Agenda 2030 goals and on Oulu’s own eco-promises. It is structured around four main objectives: promoting environmental awareness, reducing environmental impact, responsible construction, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the library. Actions include raising staff and customer awareness through theme weeks, displays, events, and training, enhancing the library’s visibility as an ecological actor by communicating its sustainability work, and encouraging suggestions from both customers and staff.

Public libraries can also collaborate with other municipal departments on environmental work. For instance, the Culture and Library Services of the City of Vantaa’s Urban Culture and Wellbeing department implemented the EcoCompass environmental management system. The work began with mapping the service area’s key environmental impacts and waste management practices, followed by impact assessments, legal reviews, chemical audits, and waste management plans. Each service unit was assigned its own environmental programme. The chosen focus areas for reducing environmental impacts included material use, procurement, communication, and advocacy. The department was awarded the EcoCompass certificate in 2024.

Creating environmental programmes alone is not enough to reduce impacts—sustainability progress requires commitment, resources, and skills. In Oulu, library leadership and staff are committed to the Sustainable Library 2030 roadmap through dedicated team structures. Sustainable development is integrated into all aspects of the library’s operations. Implementation is supported by sustainability leads within teams and eco-support staff in libraries. The roadmap is communicated to the entire staff as well as to patrons and stakeholders.

Different kinds of eco-teams are also common in other libraries.
For example, Pieksämäki Library has appointed an eco-support person, while Kerava City Library has two, both of whom are responsible for annual reporting and planning for the Central Uusimaa Environmental Centre. Seinäjoki City Library has its own eco-team and participates in the city’s broader sustainable development team. At Turku City Library, staff engagement in climate work includes selecting and implementing one specific climate action each year based on employee suggestions.

In addition to their own environmental programmes, many public libraries are assigned environmental goals and actions through municipal climate plans.Beyond public libraries, other actors in Finland’s library network have also developed environmental programmes. The National Library of Finland published its Boldly Towards Sustainable Change programme in 2021, documenting its path toward carbon neutrality. The Finnish Research Library Association is organizing efforts to promote sustainable development through the FUN network of university libraries. For universities of applied sciences, a Sustainable Development Workbook for AMK Libraries has been created to support environmental efforts.

Public libraries’ environmental actions were mapped in the spring 2025 report Best Practices for Environmental Work in Municipal Cultural Services. Based on the report and outcomes of various sustainability projects, libraries play a special role as providers of reliable information and as promoters of the circular and sharing economies and sustainable lifestyles. According to the report, most library environmental actions focus on mitigating the climate crisis, but particularly the sharing of knowledge and environmental education can encompass a broad range of environmental issues.