Contributions of academic libraries, librarians, and information science to education for sustainable development research and implementation: a Canadian undergraduate example

Abstract

There is a growing intersection between library and information science (LIS) and sustainability research. This paper explores the potential of LIS research for advancing sustainability education inquiry spanning areas such as structuring curriculum, pedagogical approaches, information behavior, and cultural collections. Through an examination of recent reviews of LIS scholarship on sustainability, it underscores the imperative for further investigation into the intersection between LIS and sustainability, particularly in education and cultural domains. This paper delineates potential avenues for future research, highlighting a gap in the literature pertaining to the implementation of sustainable development education goals within higher education institutions at the interdisciplinary level. Drawing from illustrative examples, this paper contributes to addressing this gap by showcasing how LIS scholarship, including Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), has been leveraged and applied by a subject librarian, teacher, and researcher in sustainability education. The context of this implementation is within sustainability courses that are part of an interdisciplinary sustainability certificate at an undergraduate university.