BY DARIAN SABLON
In a time when computers were nothing but science fiction plot devices and cellphones were just figments of people’s imagination, there was a place where someone could go whenever they had a burning question, or wanted to runaway to a magical world of dragons and knights, astronauts and monsters: the library. It has been with us since the invention of language and writing. We would not be where we are today without libraries, which store valuable records so we can takes glimpses into the past and try to learn from previous mistakes, and which also catalogue innovative ideas that can shape the world. Nothing would be the same without libraries.
Yet in an age where technology dominates our lives, libraries have begun to dwindle in popularity. With a swipe and a click, all the information a library can provide and more is available to us. Why get up when the answer is right there? The reason being is that unlike a computer or a phone, the library is a sanctuary where we, as humans, can learn and grow. It is a place where we can learn about each other on a more intimate level. Libraries help cultivate imagination and creativity, brilliance and discourse. They are places where ideas form and go to be debated. In many ways they are cultural centers, where a variety of customs and traditions meet and blend and we are given the chance to experience them head on. Why get rid of that? It would only isolate us more from each other, where the only way one can learn about the world around them is through a little bright screen.
Now I do understand that going to the library can be a hassle for some people with very tight schedules. It wouldn’t make sense to go somewhere for something that can be reached in a matter of seconds in another place. Sadly though, many people don’t have access to computers or the internet and are as a result, extremely disadvantaged in an age where digital information runs the world. Yet libraries, yes libraries, give them the chance to partake in this mass technology world by providing access to computers free of charge. Libraries have adapted to the changing world, and have thus cemented their place in our society, even as it transitions into a brand new era.
They have been with us so long that taking them away would be as if we were to remove an integral part of our body. We have relied on them so much that we must appreciate them unconditionally, and yet we often look down on them as artifacts of the past, meant to disappear as computers become to take charge of our lives. Let’s change that. Whether we like or not, they’ll stay with us because we simply can’t live without them. So go to your local library and check out a book.
