It’s clear – sometimes high-level policy documents can seem a long way away from day-to-day work.
They deal in big ideas and big concepts, and can feel too much to do much about on your own.
At the same time, they can also offer an opportunity to think into the long term, as well as understand the ideas – and words – that preoccupy those in power.
As such, they can be a motivator for action, as well as a tool for advocacy.
There are few better examples than the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – 17 high level objectives, running over 15 years.
While the overall 2030 Agenda, set out in a UN Resolution from 2015, comes to over 30 pages, the goals themselves are easy to read and understand.
So for our 47th 10-Minute international Librarian exercise, (re)read the Sustainable Development Goals.
You may well already have gone through them once or twice, but it can be surprisingly useful to refresh your memory.
Sometimes you will spot possibilities or connections you did not see before. Sometimes it’s just useful to have the reminder of the global goals that all governments have committed to work to achieve.
By looking through all of them, you can also think about how wide the contribution of great libraries to societies, economies and culture can be.
Share your experiences of using the SDGs in your thinking and planning in the comments below.
Good luck!
This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 1.1 Show the power of libraries in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals.
As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box below.