One of my favorite places to go when I was in elementary school was the library. I would walk through the shelves of picture books, grabbing each one that caught my eye through their vibrant covers and titles. By the end of each visit, I had at least twenty books overflowing in a tote bag that I brought with me to make it easier to hold all my finds. Whether it was on the bus ride home from school, at the kitchen table, or outside on my porch, I would spend the majority of my free time engrossed in a book. Reading was more than a hobby. It became a part of my everyday routine and helped nurture my own writing abilities.
When I got older, however, my trips to the library became less frequent and were replaced with extra hours doing homework and surfing the web, as technology provided quick entertainment and required less patience than finishing a novel. Mandatory reading logs disappeared and with it went the motivation to take the trip to the library and look for a new book. Although I still enjoyed the quiet and comforting atmosphere of the library, my passion for reading was not as strong as it once had been.
As our society transforms and is influenced by new trends and advancements, it is inevitable that certain activities and hobbies will become outdated and replaced by new ones. The reality is that In the modern age, libraries have become archaic and individuals are more interested in seeking satisfaction and personal fulfillment from their social media accounts. While there are dozens of apps that promote audiobooks and make novels accessible on tablets, they do not make up for the feeling of physically turning the pages of a book and the structural organization and beauty embodied by libraries.
Libraries are abodes of wisdom and their accessibility to the public should be prized and celebrated instead of abandoned. Teaching future generations to appreciate books is essential for them to not only become more knowledgeable about the world but also to build up their own creativity and insightfulness.
