The Fading Relevance of Libraries in the Digital Age

       This way to the LIBRARY 
              ➡️➡️➡️➡️

Keep quiet and maintain perfect silence

Readers are leaders

Take any book and return it appropriately

Do not take a book without documenting your name with the librarian

Read your way into your future

These are just a few of the timeless instructions we encountered in my secondary school library in those days.

As we embrace the digital age, it's evident that libraries have faced significant challenges. Once, they were essential havens for academic success, especially during exam seasons. I fondly recall the endless hours spent in the library, surrounded by my peers, immersed in our studies, we read a lot of literature textbooks in the library, and some of us became experts in reading at that time.

There was seriousness even when you got home because the book you took from the library must be returned and you don't want to return it without reading, and there were competitions among ourselves because we challenged ourselves to read on how we have read one particular text from another. But what has happened to the libraries now? Many schools have foregone their libraries, and the priority of reading seems like a war among students today.

School libraries serve a crucial role in fostering literacy, providing access to valuable information, and nurturing social connections when there were no mobile phones and nothing like digital or should I say, it was limited. I can’t help but wonder: How many students choose to read online? How many individuals engage with digital texts? And how many schools have well-equipped electronic libraries? We must also consider the beautiful distractions that accompany our digital world.

Libraries have been a lifeline for countless individuals since their inception. They are much more than just a place where books are kept, they are sanctuaries that encourage literacy and education. The majority that was born during the era of the library should accord honor to the brain behind having a library in schools, even in homes.

Aside from schools, many homes operated a personal Library, In my home, for example, My Dad made room for reading with lots of novels, daily newspapers, literature texts, and so on; we call it a study room. I remember a classmate named Yinka, whom we helped in the library during break time. With just two weeks of reading lessons together in the library, she began to thrive from someone who was on the verge of repeating a class to an overcomer. Today, she carries with her the lasting impact of Library space on her journey.

We must not allow technology to overshadow the valuable role of libraries. Instead, we should strive to enhance and modernize these institutions, ensuring they remain relevant and accessible in our digital world. Let's recognize libraries for what they truly are: vital community hubs that shape our future.

We should not forget the use of the library in place of technology even though, some of us no longer read traditional books. Remember, the digital divide is between people who have no access to technology, some with limited access, and some with full access to technology. All fingers are not equal 👌

This is my response to the #hivelearners weekly contest, edition two on the topic: WHO NEEDS LIBRARY.

All images used are mine.

    Thank you for reading 💕