INSIGHT The library and IT


Is digital better for the environment than print? And what should we do if it isn’t?


D


IGITAL is at the heart of libraries. Most of our services and activities are either entirely online or include a


. This is not just the footprint of the devices we use to get online, but also the impact of data centres and networks that underpin our digital world. In total, the internet generates 3.7 per cent of global carbon emissions, and this could double by 20252


.


But given the vital role trees play as sequesters of carbon, surely this is better than felling them to make print books? The answer is – in short – not necessarily. The notion that digital is always greener is a myth. Factors as diverse as how much online use an ebook gets, to how someone travelled to a library to borrow a print book, all determine genuine environmental impact3


. Although there is a carbon


footprint from the initial manufacture of a print book, this is a single occurrence. Whereas an ebook has ongoing environmental impact over time, according to how much it is used. Tom Rainey’s analysis of using e-readers versus purchasing print books broadly indicates that a well-used e-reader is probably more sustainable4


. However,


there is little consensus in the data about how much more sustainable, and the research is now 10-years-old.


38 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL


significant digital component. Libraries were pioneers of computers for managing information and automating workflows, with early examples such as the Library of Congress’s use of computers from 1964. Subsequent decades have witnessed the rise of digital collections and archiving, and the role of libraries in providing internet access and bridging the ‘digital divide’. However, the environmental impact of digital is immense. For instance, the total of CO2 generated annually by music and video streaming is roughly equal to the entire carbon footprint of Spain1


Moreover, library lending of print books maximizes reuse, meaning that at least some readers don’t buy a print book that they might have bought otherwise. And crucially, any net benefit of digital is reversed each time we upgrade our tablet or laptop.


. For instance, should we include the carbon footprint of manufacturing devices required to access online content? A similar complication is that many data centres are powered at least partially by renewables, and while this is positive it makes direct comparisons more complex. As Federica Lucivero argues, the real challenge is how to establish a causal link of liability6


Mike Hazas highlights the important question of which factors to include and exclude5


. What


responsibility do data centre providers, software vendors, policy makers, libraries and library users hold? In light of these challenges the obvious question is what we can do to reduce the impact of libraries’ digital activity. Firstly, we should avoid seeing this as a binary choice between print or digital. As Lucivero asserts, the real question is how to reduce the environmental impact of digital, not whether we should choose digital or not7


.


Part of the answer lies with the organisations we work for. Their power and influence at a macro level is key, and goes well beyond what we as individuals can achieve. For instance, in 2020 Lancaster University (my employer) declared a climate emergency and announced its aim to be carbon neutral by 2035. Around 15 per cent of the university’s electricity is already generated by its wind turbine, and planning permission was granted in 2021 to establish a solar farm, predicted to reduce energy related emissions by up to 40 per cent. However, options like these are far more limited for many organisations. And much of a library’s carbon footprint comes from its third party suppliers,


Thomas Shaw is Assistant Director for Digital Innovation and Services at Lancaster University.


especially content providers and software companies. We should take any opportunities open to us to push suppliers on sustainability. In particular, we need to engage with them about the impact of their digital activity, particularly on questions such as whether their (or their cloud providers’) data centres are powered by renewables. This can be achieved not just through individual relationships with vendors, but also by working at the level of procurement consortia, to drive the importance of sustainability. When we are selecting suppliers for digital content and services, questions of sustainability should be just as important as functionality or value for money. IP


References


1 Federica Lucivero, Digital Shifts and Sustainability www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfewTWpMCYk


2 Mike Hazas, quoted in Why your internet habits are not as clean as you think www.bbc.com/future/ article/20200305-why-your-internet-habits-are-not-as-clean-as- you-think


3 Federica Lucivero, Digital Shifts and Sustainability www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfewTWpMCYk


4 Tom Rainey, Weighing the environmental costs: buy an eReader, or a shelf of books? https://theconversation. com/weighing-the-environmental-costs-buy-an-ereader-or-a- shelf-of-books-8331


5 Mike Hazas, quoted in Why your internet habits are not as clean as you think www.bbc.com/future/ article/20200305-why-your-internet-habits-are-not-as-clean-as- you-think


6 Federica Lucivero, Digital Shifts and Sustainability www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfewTWpMCYk


7 Federica Lucivero, Digital Shifts and Sustainability www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfewTWpMCYk


June 2022


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... the total of CO2 generated annually by music and video streaming is roughly equal to the entire carbon footprint of Spain.


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