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 My primary Writing.com blog. |
 Prompt for Day 2605: Library. "A library is thought in cold storage." — Herbert Samuel. Do you go to a public library? Are libraries still important in our lives? With easy access to the instant gratification that comes from ordering an ebook, or even hard copies that can be bought at a local bookstore or delivered in the mail within 24-48 hours, libraries have fallen out of favor with a lot of people. So many of us have been conditioned to order things on Amazon, it's almost second-nature to think about a book you've been wanting to read, add it to the cart, and have it delivered to your doorstep just a few hours later. In some ways, this is better for a reader like me, who often wants to read something very specific. It can be frustrating to go to the library, realize the exact book you want isn't in stock, and then have to figure out if you can request it from another branch. I've never been the kind of person who can be like, "Oh, I want to read a Michael Connelly book but I don't care if I read #10 or #20 in the series." I've always been the kind of person who goes, "The last book I read in the series was #7, so if I'm going to read another one, it's going to be #8." That said, I also have a lot of reading interests, so I'm never at a loss for what to read. Where I do excel at using libraries is having a list of things I want to read, and then going through their online catalogue to see what's in stock and put it on hold before I head to the library to pick it up. I'll often cycle through the book series I'm reading to see what's available. "I'm on Stormlight Archive #2, Harry Bosch #8, Orphan X #9, Gray Man #7, etc. ... let's see which one of those I can pick up now..." I also happen to have library cards at multiple local libraries, so I can also forum shop a bit if I'm looking for something really specific. I will almost always check to see if I can find something at the library before I spend money to purchase a copy, especially now that many libraries will also loan ebooks and audiobooks. I do think that libraries are one of the most important aspects of society, and I wish they were better utilized. It's kind of wild to think about, that you can literally go to a place (probably relatively close to your home) and borrow books for free, or even in some cases avail yourself of many of its other free services like renting a quiet study room, using a computer with internet access, participating in community events, etc. Ever since we adopted our kids, we've been trying to instill an appreciation for them by going every couple of weeks and checking out books, then returning them and getting more, etc. And for a family that reads so much, it's super cost-effective to borrow books and return them rather than to keep buying new books (which in my case often only get read once)! Lately, I've been really discouraged at the political fights that have been waged at libraries (mostly in terms of what books should or should not be allowed to be stocked). I'm really hoping that common sense prevails at some point and people realize that, unless we're taking about examples of some very fringe books in a specialized library setting (like the one at an elementary school), libraries should be places where you can discover new things. I saw a quote online the other day and I'm not sure who it's attributed to, but it said something along the lines of, "We should spend less time trying to control what information people have access to, and more time being the kind of people who others can process with when they come across information that's challenging, confusing, or unsettling." We shouldn't be defunding libraries and making it harder for people to find information at all; we should be investing in making libraries safer spaces to encounter new things and make new discoveries as we seek to better understand ourselves and the world around us. |
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