Libraries: Catalysts for Sustainable Development and IKS

Several facades of human beings of the Indian sub-continent, having been highly influenced by the classical wisdom, customs, and ideologies, comprise the Indian Knowledge System (IKS).The philosophy inherent in IKS promotes a code of sustainable living among human beings by emphasizing holistic awareness and a strong, positive correlation with the environment and society, which is rooted in Indian classical literature, such as the Vedas and Upanishads (Karmanya Gurutvam, 2024;Gopal, 2024).IKS has been more acquainted with the contemporary concept of sustainable development goals, especially the prevailing issues, viz., social injustice and climate change, and has emerged as a useful tool for dealing with these issues.To preserve the accurate and authentic information about India's indigenous knowledge systems, libraries play a gigantic role.Manuscripts and historical documents, among other rare and treasured resources, are kept safely in the libraries' repositories and made publicly available as and when required.As well, libraries are the part & parcel for bringing a vast collection of classical/traditional resources to the larger users.Libraries correspondingly play the pioneer role in updating as well as digitizing the classical Indian knowledge systems to make them more widely available to their clientele (Lata and Dahiya, 2024).To preserve these knowledge systems for future generations, which is ultimately the main motto of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), libraries encourage the usage of indigenous languages and cultures; provide equitable access to information, promote education, and facilitate civic participation through several community driven activities.As collaborators, libraries offer a venue for preserving and sharing IKSs.The focus of the article is on how libraries today have integrated the IKS into SDGs.This paper explains how the United Nations SDGs came to be and how libraries influenced them via the repositories of IKS..