April 30, 2007
I remember the first time I walked into a library. As a young eight-year-old, I staunchly made my way through the rows of tall shelves and past the old computers to ask the librarian where I could find the children’s books. At the time, I was unconcerned about such matters as “technological advances” and “global interconnectedness.” All I wanted was to read.
Now, nearly ten years later, I understand the importance of such phrases and concepts. We live in a world where one can instantly connect to other individuals thousands of miles away. Therefore, it is important for our libraries to provide us with opportunities to plug into the interconnectedness of our society. Considering, there are some solutions to accomplishing this goal that seem obvious, and that are already in practice in some locations today. Libraries could provide more computers, and perhaps agree to renew their computers every ten years. Following this same train of thought, libraries could also ensure that there is a well-functioning wireless internet service within their facilities.
But is that all that matters?
I think that is the question that must be considered. Should all of libraries’ energies and funds be focused upon obtaining the latest high-tech tools?
The thing that I remember most about my first visit to the library was not the computers that I passed. I did not worry about wireless internet. In fact, the only material aspect of the library that concerned me at all was the books, and this is the point that I find to be of the most importance. What we lack in our libraries now, more often than not, are not technological resources. What we truly lack are books, or more specifically, an emphasis on reading books. It is the novels that teach us values, and the same novels that impart essential truths to us. In books, we can find ourselves connected to others around the world, for we are united in our parallel reading of the same words. Books serve as springboards for our minds and our imaginations, leading us to generate greater inventions and more fantastic ideas. As we’ve advanced in our technology-based society, we have lost a basic sense of the importance of reading, and this is a loss that will hurt us deeply in the future if we cannot recognize it and strive towards repairing it now.
With this in mind, I maintain that the one principle that libraries can provide to help us succeed in a world where boundaries are deteriorating is by highlighting the importance of learning, of connecting, of creating: in other words, of reading. When the eight-year-olds of tomorrow stride purposefully into their libraries, I hope that they will walk by rows of bright computers and other apt instruments that will connect them with more information and more people around the world. More strongly, though, I hope that their destination will be to a book, and subsequently, to the source of the knowledge and power the future demands.