Green library adoption in Indonesian public university libraries: A multiple-case study

Purpose: This study examines how Indonesian public university libraries implement green and sustainable practices and identifies the organizational constraints shaping their adoption in academic settings. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a qualitative multiple-case study across 10 public university libraries at universities holding State University with Legal Entity status (Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Badan Hukum ) on the island of Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with library managers, on-site observations, and document reviews conducted between 20 March and 11 May 2023. Evidence was analyzed through directed qualitative coding using indicators derived from LEED v4.1 BD+C and the IFLA ENSULIB green library checklist. A case-by-category matrix was developed to compare practices across the 10 libraries. Discourse analysis was then applied as an interpretive layer to examine how informants framed sustainability, justified constraints, and attributed responsibility across library and university governance levels. Findings: Green initiatives are present but uneven and largely incremental. Actions that are feasible at the unit level, such as space-use adjustments, routine operational practices, and service digitization, are more visible than infrastructure-intensive interventions, which are constrained by governance arrangements, capital costs, and dependence on campus-wide facilities. Transport-related initiatives, particularly bicycle parking, were reported in all cases. Research limitations/implications: This study focuses on Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Badan Hukum universities in Java and relies primarily on one managerial informant per case. Future research should incorporate user perspectives and building performance data (e.g. energy and water audits) across a wider range of regions and institutions. Practical implications: The findings support a staged roadmap that distinguishes operational greening from infrastructure transformation, emphasizing the need for governance coordination and capacity building to move beyond “doable” practices toward more integrated sustainability efforts. Originality/value: By integrating a green building rating framework with a library-specific sustainability checklist, this study proposes a replicable assessment approach and highlights the role of governance in shaping what can be implemented and documented as “sustainability” in academic libraries in the Global South.