Sustainability: Library
Library
The bulk of the library operations are online, such as taking out and reserving books, but there are other sustainable practices where the library is excelling as can be seen below:
Book collection
Assistant Librarian Richard Turner put together a book collection for World Earth Day.
View this post on Instagram
Book Supplier
Gardners (the company that own Browns Books – our main book supplier) has made considerable efforts around packaging. They use 100% recycled boxes which are produced in a carbon neutral facility to full FSC compliance. They have reduced their box filler, saving approximately 1224 trees a year, and are using less plastic tape.
Recycled Books
Unwanted library books are collected by a company called Any Book.com, They collect books as and when their vans are in the area and try to sell them second hand. If they are not in good condition, or the book does not sell they then get recycled.
In 2022, of the books donated by the college, 49kg were sold and 12kg were recycled.
In 2023 we sent 892 books with a total weight of 530kg. 236kg have been recycled, 86kg sold and the remainder are still available for sale
Ebooks
The College participates in an ebook scheme which provides ebooks for all members of the University. This is a joint scheme between the Bodleian and a number of colleges
Shredding
The company the College uses for shredding sensitive documents is called Shred-it. The shredded paper is recycled and, in 2024 we have saved 21 trees through this activity. Shred-it also boasts that their document collections consoles are made from 100% recovered and recycled fibers and their transport bins are moulded from 100% recycled HDPE plastic.
Protective Book Covers
To give longevity to college library books a protective cover is required, until recently this was in the form of PVC, however the library team have now changed this to a film that’s bio-based plastic (75% sugar cane) and water-based acrylic adhesive.
