Toward Building an Arab Standard for Measuring the Transition Toward a Green Environment in Information Institutions: An Applied Study on Libraries in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

With the growing emphasis on environmental sustainability, libraries have begun to adopt environmentally sustainable practices to reduce their ecological footprint and move toward green libraries. Although several standards have been developed to support this transition, no Arab standard has yet been established to measure the level of transition toward a green environment in information institutions, particularly at the Arab level. Accordingly, this study aims to design a proposed standard for evaluating the transition toward a green environment in libraries across the Arab context, after surveying existing green transformation standards. The study adopts the descriptive analytical method to identify standards for green transformation in information institutions and uses an evaluative research approach to test the effectiveness of the proposed standard on a sample of academic and public libraries in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Data collection tools included content analysis, assessment of existing standards, and the design of a standard for measuring green transformation in information institutions. The study found that the libraries under investigation achieved approximately 70% of the proposed standard, indicating that they are moving from the level of traditional libraries toward green libraries. Mohammed Bin Rashid Library ranked first, followed by Ajman University Library, then the American University of Sharjah Library, while Alexandria University Library ranked last. The study recommends establishing an Arab collaborative platform to collect best practices and lessons learned from the transition toward green libraries, supported by consultants and experts who can provide guidance and expertise.