Tallinn Central Library vs digital waste

Abstract

Many people still don’t realise that digital waste is a huge contributor to global warming. Unnecessary emails, files, duplicates of photos and videos accumulate everywhere at an alarming rate; the resources needed for storing or streaming them are not sustainable and cause harm to the environment. Research also shows that digital clutter has a negative impact on our mental health by causing anxiety. Tackling digital waste is one of the main goals for Tallinn Central Library in 2023, the year of Tallinn as the Green Capital of Europe. As information specialists, librarians help people to find necessary information, but they can also teach information hygiene and methods to reduce data waste. Some of our actions: ● Specialists come to our libraries to speak and conduct workshops about digital waste; ● Our librarians receive training on the topic to be able to counsel our patrons; ● We run campaigns to encourage our patrons to address the problem; ● We teach and help our senior citizens to clean their computers, phones etc. of digital waste, which is also good for the speed and lifespan of the devices; ● As a library, we try to set an example and reduce our data volume.