Public libraries and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Abstract

As motors of change driving development, public libraries, with their commitment to information provision and access, are crucial to the realization of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This article contributes to emerging Library and Information Science scholarship on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by arguing for the central roles played by public libraries in realizing its goals. The purpose is twofold. First, it overviews the agenda’s history coupled with the start of a literature review of the Library and Information Science research on it. Second, it presents a conceptual framework in which to approach the agenda’s goals and associated targets within the context of public libraries. The ultimate aim is to establish a base for and expand awareness of the UN 2030 Agenda within the Library and Information Science discipline, in addition to promoting the importance of public libraries in advancing sustainable development efforts generally and the agenda specifically.