Sustainability at the Penn Libraries
The Penn Libraries is committed to sustainability. By providing access to collections, tools, and expertise, we seek to empower people and elevate solutions — in research, learning, and in everyday life.
Research and Learning
Research in sustainability touches all disciplines and implicates a breadth of methodologies. The Libraries provides access to new and continuing journals, databases, ebooks, datasets, and other specialized resources that support research related to sustainability. You can learn more about our tools and collections from our dedicated research guide.
Librarians with subject area specializations and expertise in data and digital scholarship are available for in-depth consultations, workshops, and course-integrated instruction sessions. We invite you to consult with us on your teaching needs and opportunities for partnership.
Collections
The Libraries’ commitment to sustainability is reflected through our investments in unique and impactful collections that inform the Penn community’s interactions with sustainability concepts in theory and practice. In addition to our text-based resources, we provide access to collections that support innovation in design and engineering, such as the Fisher Fine Arts Materials Library, which includes samples of plant-based and recycled materials increasingly of interest in sustainable building practices.
On Campus and Beyond
The Libraries regularly engages the Penn community and the Philadelphia community through events and programming that foster learning, awareness, and action. Highlights include the Penn Libraries Book Prize in Sustainability, events and workshops produced by the Common Press letterpress studio, and moderated conversations on critical topics like energy policy. In addition, a GIS user group, organized by the Research Data & Digital Scholarship team, meets monthly on campus. And the Libraries annually hosts GIS Day, in association with the Stuart Weitzman School of Design.
Ways to Contribute
We appreciate the generous support of our donors and community partners who share our commitment to sustainability and hope you'll consider joining them.