Why Libraries Matter In The Digital Age

Technology has taken over various aspects of human life. From agriculture to science, medicine, education, transportation, communication, and entertainment, the impact of technology on our lives cannot be overstated. One thing about humans is that they adapt to change. Human beings evolve with time to accommodate the changing needs and circumstances of society. Using cellphones as a case study, centuries ago, there were no cell phones. Human beings communicated through traditional methods like smoke signals, pigeons, and letters. However, today, technology has taken over this aspect - only by pressing a few clicks on your cell phone, you can communicate with friends and family. Everyday, technology continues to advance, and human beings have gotten accustomed to these changes. In today's edition of the Hive Learners prompts, we are asked to discuss the importance of libraries in a digital world. Are libraries still needed in this digital age?

We are in the 21st century where the internet is loaded with data and information on various fields. The internet is like a genius that has answers to questions. All you need to do is ask. If this is the case, why then do we need libraries? Why do high schools and institutions keep building libraries in this digital world? To start with, not everyone has access to technology. Let’s start with elementary and high school students. In my early days in high school, I didn't have access to digital devices. I don’t know how it works in other countries, but here, most high school students are not allowed to have access to digital devices until they reach senior high school. Typically, students are either allowed to use digital devices for specific assignments, permitted to use them with time limits, or not allowed to use them at all.

In my case, throughout Junior High school, I didn't have access to a cellphone or any other digital device. I made use of my sister’s cell phone for research on assignments. Interestingly, what came more handy for me was the school’s library. Although it was not well-funded, and lacked many materials, it still had lots of interesting books on different fields. We had this very big book of Guinness Records. It was just one, so the first person to get to the library got to use it. My book's favorites were materials on animals. The images and information on them always piqued my interest and made me always flip through pages.

Also, communities, especially in underdeveloped and even some developing countries, do not have access to technology. In some rural parts of many developing countries, people do not have access to technology, what they have is community libraries. Although these libraries might not be well funded with materials, it is still better than nothing at all. With this, it is evident that we still need libraries in this digital world because some high school students, and also communities in rural countries do not have access to technology, making it difficult for them to find data and information in the digital space.

In today’s digital age, everything we need to know can be found online. There is nothing you want to research that hasn't been explored before. While this is true, it can be difficult to navigate, especially if you're new to the digital world. This is where libraries come in. Libraries are loaded with projects, journals, and books that have been carefully organized by librarians or experts. One of the benefits of libraries is that they narrow down research, making it easier for us to find the information we need. Presently, I'm working on my final year project. Although it has been overwhelming, the school library has been really helpful. I remember the last time I visited there. All I had to do was visit the section that contained books on my topic, and I got what I wanted.

It is true that the internet is loaded with materials on different fields, but some materials are not yet available online. For example, newly published books or books by lesser-known authors. Recently, a lecturer in my department published a book. While this book cannot be found on the internet yet, because the author is not well-known and the book has just been published, it is available in my school's library.

Instead of neglecting libraries in this digital age, it's best to use both methods - the internet and libraries - because they both serve their purposes. This is why libraries should be well-funded.

Images in this post are mine.

Thanks for reading.