Service management and sustainability in university libraries

Abstract

The transformations driven by technological advances and the exponential growth of information pose ongoing challenges to University Libraries (ULs), which must continuously adapt to maintain their relevance and competitiveness. In this context, it is pertinent to examine the relationships among the management of information services, sustainability, and sustainable development in order to support more strategic management practices. To this end, an exploratory and descriptive literature review was conducted using content analysis by examining the intersection of these concepts. The findings reveal that the sustainability of information services, often understood as their capacity to endure over time, depends on effective management that integrates multiple elements. The key elements identified include the strategic use of technology, investment in staff development and training, the promotion of user participation, and the adoption of policies and partnerships. Regarding sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their integration remains only weakly articulated in the studies analyzed. Although only a limited number of studies explicitly establish a direct relationship between University Library practices and the SDGs, the analysis showed that many of the actions described have the potential to contribute to the 2030 Agenda. In this context, informational sustainability, by linking the promotion of information for sustainable development with the responsible use of information and technologies throughout their life cycle, emerges as a key concept for library management. This perspective underscores the need for University Libraries to intentionally integrate the principles of sustainable development into the planning, management, and evaluation of their information services, thereby strengthening their role as strategic agents of social transformation.