TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE (TBL) THEORY IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES: HOW CAN GREEN LIBRARIES EXTEND LIBRARY SERVICES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT?

Abstract

The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) theory has been used by corporations and businesses to enhance sustainability practices. However, this theory may be implementable for libraries and information centres. Thus, this study examined the TBL theory in understanding how green libraries extend library services in university libraries. This study adopts the narrative review design and did a comprehensive qualitative analysis of related literature to show evidence on how TBL theory can be adopted in university libraries setting. Moreover, the databases consulted for this study include Google Scholar, Taylor and Francis, Emerald, Sage, Scopus, and Web of Science. The results showed that there are 3Ps in the TBL theory, which stands for “profit”, “people”, and “planet”. All of these represent the three elements of sustainability including economic, social, and environmental perspectives respectively. The study demonstrated that the “profit” should be remodified by university libraries to “provision”. This is because they are to provide information services and facilities efficiently with available resources. The study indicates that university libraries should ensure all stakeholders like students, lecturers/faculty, researchers, and immediate university environment benefit from them. Moreover, university libraries should ensure their services and routines do not have negative environmental implications.

DOI: https://doie.org/10.10318/SER.2025946657