Books – and so the libraries that provide equitable access to them – can be a great way of discovering and engaging with new ideas.
This is particular the case for children, given the ability of books to open new horizons and raise new questions about key issues.
And are no sets of issues more critical for the future than the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDG Book Club brings together the UN, publishers, libraries and booksellers in order to promote a list of books in all six UN languages, for each of the 17 SDGs.
They provide a starting point for teachers, librarians and parents in helping young people to think about the world.
But you don’t just have to rely on the official selection!
For our 49th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, think about setting up an SDG Book Club.
What books can you think of that help get people thinking about the issues in the SDGs, in your language, and ideally which are relevant to your users?
What steps will you need to take to get there? Who can you work with – publishers? Organisations promoting books for young people? UN offices?
There are resources on the SDG Book Club page on the United Nations website, as well as information about how to get your club listed on the UN website.
Share your ideas in the comments below!
This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 1.1 Show the power of libraries in achieving 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.