Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
Summer 11-15-2021
Abstract
Globally, public libraries are considered key partners in the fight against climate change. Yet, little is known about the explicit contribution of Zambian public libraries in actualizing the global climate change agenda. To address this gap, the authors investigated the role of public libraries in the climate change agenda. The objective was to establish the role of public libraries in combating climate change and its impacts. Using a survey method, a purposive sample of 100 participants was targeted. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences while qualitative data were coded and analyzed thematically. The results revealed that majority (80%) of the participating libraries had no plans on how to combat climate change and its impacts and only 1 (1.6%) library was actively involved in climate change awareness campaigns. From this result it can be deduced that public libraries in Zambia were passive in the fight against climate change. Implicitly, the role of public libraries vis-à-vis the climate action agenda was insignificant. These findings would inform policy direction on how best to leverage public libraries in the actualization of Sustainable Development Goal #13.