Libraries and positive climate action: is digital a problem or a solution?

The British Library is hosting a series of webinars focused on libraries and the climate crisis. The aim of the series is to bring together international library leaders to share their different responses to the climate emergency.
 
Libraries deploy a wide range of digital technologies, and the range keeps expanding as many libraries start to think about potential of artificial intelligence and its deployment in different library processes. In the face of climate crisis, digital technologies are often an essential tool – for example, enabling us to preserve materials vulnerable to effects of extreme weather. At the same time, we know that large data centres and computation power are large contributors to climate change, and that our increased digital activities add pressure on the planet’s resources. What does this mean for the future digital strategies of libraries? How do we adjust to both embrace the positive aspects of digital technologies and minimise our impact on the planet?
 
This session will look at both positive and negative effects of digital activities on the climate, and how different libraries are adapting their thinking with climate impact in mind.