Key Message
To make better decisions for tomorrow, it is critical that we effectively manage the wealth of sustainable development knowledge available today. As physical and virtual meeting places of the mind, cultural incubators and spaces for learning, libraries offer some essential ingredients for achieving sustainable development.
Team
 | · Janice Gair Director - Human Resources and Administration | |
 | · Marlene Roy Research and Learning Resources | |
 | · Stacy Matwick Information Centre Assistant | |
 | · Tim Verry Information Centre Assistant | |
Archives
IISD Research Library
Connecting people to knowledge and ideas about sustainable development
What's new in the IISD Research Library?
2010-International Year of Biodiversity
Video – action now for life on earth We are facing a serious crisis in biodiversity, the elaborate network of animals, plants and the places where they live... MoreNew on the Reading Shelf
We’ve just added titles to New on the Reading Shelf. For access to these and many other titles please see SD-Cite or contact Stacy Matwick. MoreMeasuring Economic Growth using Space Images of Night-time Lights
GDP, an important indicator of economic growth, is often badly measured using conventional methods, especially in developing countries where data collection can... More
Tapping into our collective knowledge about people and nature reveals possibilities for a more sustainable future. Much of this knowledge can be found in various forms in print and electronic media, and sourced through the library's database. IISD's Research Library specifically locates, organizes and provides access to knowledge about:
- Sustainable development policy and its theoretical underpinnings
- General works on the relationship between environment and development
- Ecological and environmental economics
- Poverty links to environment
- Human development and well-being
- Biodiversity and conservation
- Ecosystem goods and services
- International sustainable development negotiations, regimes and decision-making
- Environmental governance and multilateral environmental agreements
- Energy and climate change policy
- Trade and foreign direct investment policy and links to sustainable development
- Natural resources management and policy
- Integrated assessment
- Measurement and indicators of sustainable development
- Environment and security
- Sustainable agriculture
- Watershed management and policy
SD-Cite, the library database, can be searched to find sustainable development information and knowledge kept in the library's print collection or on the World Wide Web.
Contents
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GENERata
GENERata keeps you up-to-date on sustainable development issues, trends and insights from creative thinkers. It takes the best information and transforms it into knowledge, showcases ideas and captures the past to inform the future. And for those wanting to delve further into topics, there is an entire Knowledge Finder section to guide you. -
Services
The Research Library responds to information inquiries about sustainable development from IISD staff and the general public. Print materials can by borrowed by IISD staff and associates only, but many sources can be found on the Internet using SD-Cite. The library in Winnipeg is open to the public by appointment during the work week. -
Weekly Journal Review
There is no other database that brings together the wide ranging mix of articles on sustainable development being published across many areas of inquiry. We do this by subscribing to journals with a sustainable development focus and listing new articles received each week in SD-Cite. This list is compiled and sent to thousands of subscribers each week. -
Information Desk
Research Library staff have several years experience and are knowledgeable about sustainable development. They respond to hundreds of inquiries each years and find and organize sustainable development information on an ongoing basis. As members of numerous networks, they can direct library users to subject experts and other organizations around the globe. -
SD-Cite, the library database
Updated on a daily basis this database contains thousands of print and electronic sources of information on sustainable development. Sources in this fully searchable database are classified according to the OECD Macrothesaurus and descriptors.