The Emergence of Green Libraries in Kenya: Insights From Academic Libraries

Environmental protection is an increasingly pressing issue all over the world. Ozone depletion, the greenhouse effect, global climate changes, and global warming are among rising environmental concerns. During a recent climate change conference, i.e., COP 26 in Glasgow, UK, in November 2021, the Glasgow climate pact was unveiled to drive action across the globe on mitigation- reducing emissions; adaptation – helping those already affected by climate change, finance – enabling countries to deliver on their climate goals and collaboration- working together to deliver even more significant action. Libraries have not been left behind and are engaging in green initiatives to lessen global warming and safeguard the environment through the green library initiative (Singh & Mishra, 2019). Librarians are slowly becoming eco-conscious and developing the sense of creating libraries that minimize power consumption and become energy efficient and environmentally friendly to attain sustainable libraries or green libraries. There is limited research on green initiatives in libraries in Africa, although a lot is being done in some libraries to ensure environmental sustainability. A case study of academic libraries in Kenya was done to establish the perspectives of librarians on going green and levels of adoption while also exploring the motivations and barriers to environmental sustainability championed by libraries. Through purposive sampling, the study looked at ten academic libraries in Kenya that are perceived to be either partially or fully green. Head librarians of these institutions were taken through interviews to explore the adoption of green initiatives. Observation and document review were also used in the mixed methods case study.