By: Sheikh M. Arshad
Director General, Department of Libraries, Islamabad.
The worth of libraries can be questionable in an era where computers write our letters and Google gives us answers in a matter of seconds. But such a perception couldn’t be further from the truth. Libraries are gradually yet powerfully turning into some of the most alive community centers of our times, far from being extinct. There is more to a modern library today than books. There is high-speed internet, repositories of data, coding classes, 3D printers, and even lendable equipment as well.
Libraries are today hubs of technology, havens of learning, and doorways to opportunity. They are still the great equalizer in society. The library can be the sole place where a youth from a low-income community can access computers or books. It is most likely the first place where newcomers to the country can find language instruction and citizenship materials.
Libraries continue to provide uncensored and unbiased free information from Peshawar to Karachi. Ironically, silence is what the majority now yearn in our hyper-connected world, and it is the libraries that provide this. They are one of the last remaining quiet public spaces where one can still read extensively, study hard, and think without interruption. That is no mean grace in this era of endless notifications.
Apart from this, libraries are now also becoming hubs to their respective communities. They have turned out to be lifelines to communities by providing author readings and book clubs, offering heat wave shelters, and distributing COVID-19 kits during the pandemic.
Libraries are also the remaining stronghold of truth as we are increasingly living in a world of digital disinformation and AI-created content. Without the insistence of an algorithm, trained librarians lead users to separate fact from fiction and to include vetted sources.
The library is stretching out into the future with maker spaces, virtual reality education, and “libraries of things” where you can borrow anything from sewing machines to instruments. As they evolve, their mission to connect, empower, and educate has not. So the next time you walk by your local library, don’t write it off as an outdated institution. Go in. You might discover more than books. You might discover inspiration.
