The Role of Academic Libraries in Promoting Environmental Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions

Higher education institutions play a vital role in advancing Sustainable Development Goals. Within these institutions, libraries serve not only as essential educational resources, but also as dynamic contributors to academic and personal development. Therefore, their potential to influence students’ sustainable environmental behavior (SEB) is considerable. However, current literature largely overlooks the role of libraries in fostering SEB among students, highlighting a significant gap in sustainability-oriented educational research. To address this gap, this study investigates the influence of academic libraries on students’ sustainable environmental attitudes (SEA) and SEB within Chinese higher education institutions. Utilizing data from 2,500 Chinese students collected through intercept approach, the study employed partial least squares structural equation Modeling for analysis. The results revealed that library space and green initiatives, library collaboration and practical engagement, and digital and smart library innovations had a significant positive impact on SEA. Conversely, library sustainability policies and governance have a negative impact on SEA. Interestingly, this negative relationship reversed to a positive one through the mediating role of library engagement and technology use. These findings suggest that sustainability policies and governance frameworks must be implemented in conjunction with active student engagement and the integration of user-friendly technological platforms to effectively promote environmental attitudes. Therefore, higher education libraries should prioritize participatory and technology-driven strategies that transform policy intentions into meaningful student experiences, ultimately fostering a stronger culture of sustainability on campus.