UP Diliman Librarians’ Familiarity, Roles, and Challenges in the Realization of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and Their Implications for Improving Library Services

Abstract

Librarians and libraries can play a strategic role in the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This research discussed the librarians' familiarity level of the UN SDGs, the familiarity level according to demographics, and the information service programs, roles, and challenges which librarians face in attaining the UN SDGs. It used a modified online survey questionnaire to gather data from 93 UP Diliman supervisory and non-supervisory librarians. Results showed that UP librarian respondents were "somewhat familiar" with the UN SDGs, with the supervisory librarians more familiar, while the majority of the non-supervisory librarians were less familiar. Librarians' familiarity showed no difference between age, work experience, library type, and sex assigned at birth. The differences in their familiarity depended on their educational attainment and current position. The information literacy program was perceived as the most effective medium to understand UN goals fully, and their perceived most critical role is as information disseminators. Inadequate funding support was perceived as the most challenging factor. Librarians need to upgrade their knowledge of the UN SDGs. The study also proposes creating a library information program to understand the UN SDGs better.