China's Foshan Library Receives Green Library Award

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The Foshan Library in China has been conferred the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Green Library Award for being an environmental-friendly library. The award, which was first introduced in 2016 to recognise a library’s commitment to environmental sustainability, was presented to Foshan Library Associate Director Meng Zhang at the World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) 2018 here Monday. According to Meng Zhang, apart from the architectural design of the library which harmonised with nature in its concept, the library also presented an impressive array of engaging and inspiring green programme for its local community. “The library and its services are strengthened by a powerful commitment to sustainable principles which extends to architectural design, building material, management and staff commitment to continuous improvement and community education,” she said after receiving the award. Foshan Library focuses on green environment, including the use of the rainwater reuse system that helps water conservation and the use of energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LED) in bookshelves to save power. It has also adopted paperless office to librarians. Under China's National Green Building Evaluation Standard, the building has obtained two-star ratings which means it is harmless to the environment and makes full use of the natural resources. Foshan Library, which was originally build in 1957 and rebuild in 2014, currently has more than 2 million books in its inventory. -- BERNAMA