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nutrimentum spiritus
TOPIC: LIBRARIES ARE THE BEATING HEART OF THE NATION
TITLE: NUTRIMENTUM SPIRITUS
(Food for the soul)
“A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library”
Shelby Foote
The value of library is a perennial topic. We tend to define libraries as a place in which literary and artistic materials such as books, periodicals, newspapers, prints and records are kept for reading, reference or lending. Public libraries exist in most parts of the world and are often considered an essential part of having an educated and literate population. In today’s information driven age when economic instability may encumber a man to buy books libraries offer knowledge free of cost. These establishments complement our institutions to fulfill the need of skilled and highly trained manpower. But the utility of libraries does not end with hoisting the educational system. Indeed they can be viewed as one of the cornerstones of preservation and transmission of traditional culture. Hence if there were no libraries the lack of cultural salvation would lead a nation to disarray.
The history of libraries goes back to the 21st century BC in Babylonia which consisted of a collection of clay tablets. In 330 BC the first public library in Greece was established in order to preserve accurate examples of works of great dramatists. But one of the most famous libraries of antiquity was that at Alexandria in Egypt. It is not surprising that these preliminary warehouses of knowledge sprouted from mosques and monasteries. In view of the religious basis of Islamic society, it s not astonishing that the mosque was, from the earliest day of the era, the hub of the community, and that in addition to its religious and even social role, it soon acquired an educational function-it became the earliest school in Islam leading to the earliest Islamic libraries. As the realm of Islam expanded and new territories were conquered these served as the most important socializing and unifying function for the emerging polity and society and led to the proliferation of such establishments. Here in these mosques and libraries the students learned to read and recite the Quran, and lectures on subjects as the Quran, law, tradition, Arabic philology, history, and sometimes medicine were given to large audiences comprising of young students, mature townspeople, and travelers passing through. The growth of Islamic civilization was augmented greatly by the inevitable growth of book stores and libraries in all the great Muslim cities; there were one hundred in one Baghdad street alone.
Bearing in mind the evolution of civilization in the Muslim World and the expanding girth of knowledge, in the Renaissance period many nobles created their own libraries and many of the major university libraries like Oxford were established. The Vatican library, the oldest public library in Europe was founded in the 15th century. Today it houses one of the oldest collection of books and codices such as scientific works by Galileo, copies of Virgil’s poetry, gospel of Anglo-Saxon of the 8th century and pieces by Italian painter Raphael to name a few. And therefore it is safe to say that centuries of art, literature and scientific achievements have been preserved for the esteem of these remarkable men and prestige of their country. Undeniable is the access to the timeless knowledge the library has to offer which is its prime service.
When confronted with the question what a library has the most to offer, what comes foremost to mind is that a library is the nucleus of cultural conservation. Over the ages many have taken it upon themselves as patrons of art, literature, music and religion to preserve the rich cultural traditions of several civilizations. Such as the Medici family, in Florence during the Renaissance period, looked after patronage of the arts, helping to make the city a great repository of European culture. More so book collection and personal libraries were considered a sign of aristocracy and refinement. This trend of benefaction of artistic and literary endeavors was not confined to the western aristocrats alone but also in the east, where family nobles attempted to preserve the poetry of Mirza Ghalib and Mir Taqi Mir in the 18th century and later Allama Iqbal’s and Tagore’s works. These libraries are the reason we in the 20th century are able to keep ourselves aware of words of Socrates, Plato, Hippocrates and Aristotle. Based on timeless theories scientists were able to build sea liners because of the laws of buoyancy by Archimedes preserved by people. These later became a big part of the merchandise of libraries. Mathematicians and physicists used the algebraic progressions of Al khwarzmi preserved the same way and the list goes on.
Although the libraries have done a highly commendable job at preserving knowledge of all genres, yet the mind speculates the worth of libraries in the present day digital age. With the exponential increase in knowledge and expertise the value of libraries has grown several-fold. At best the target of a public library aims to promote literacy. Though, this can be cumbersome at times when challenged with issues of economic value. A family with a fixed income cannot afford as many home items and therefore there is decreased access to reading material. Certainly public libraries come into focus to make up for such deficiencies. Besides improving the literate population in the society the spectrum of reading material it extends also serves to stimulate initiative of learning and self education, and also enhancing quality of life. Here we can emphasize the importance of literature in one’s life. According to DeQuincey the function of literature is first to teach and second to move, the first being the rudder and the second being the oar or sail. When Wordsworth says “my heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky”, our imagination is sharpened. The ordinary mundane self is withheld and the finer impulses are uplifted giving a sensation of delight. Likewise the study of the Quran, the Bible and other religious books takes us away from the din and dun of the work a day life and we feel as if we are already in the world beyond the veil. According to Cicero “the study of literature nourishes youth, entertains old age, adorns posterity, solaces adversity, is delightful at home and delightful abroad.” And this vast expanse of literature is existent free of cost at libraries.
But books on literature, arts, music and religion are not the only services these establishments have to offer these days. The scope of libraries has expanded to introduce and develop skills in using information technology and foster research and information seeking skills. School and university libraries provide information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today’s information and knowledge based society.
The revolutionary task of libraries is to restore tradition to break bonds of subjectivism and expanding the horizons of knowledge of truth and of reality. Moreover it is the best way of utilization of leisure, and that only occurs in individuals with an urge to raise above a certain standard of minimal life, for personal initiative is an inevitable necessity. This can very well be achieved by building a private assortment of books and reading material but one still cannot undermine the importance of public libraries. The bibliophilic self craves for realms beyond the truthful picture of the world. The habit of reading takes him or her places where he or she has never been or can only dream to be. But this is a process that commences at a young and impressionable age when children can be given formal reading instructions. This inculcates gradually the habit to read and develops opinions. Publishers find comfort in the fact that when books are found in children’s homes, or they are in habit of going to the library, do far better in school than if they had no access to books at home.
Besides the value of reading itself, the ability to read has economic consequences. Adults who are better-than-average readers are also higher-than-average earners and are more likely of acquiring high paying jobs. Growing technicalization of society has brought increasing demands for literacy, which the schools are hard pressed to meet. The level of literacy required in every walk of life has heightened and categories like business, industry, armed forces even very day life are included. The great importance of reading ability is underscored by the growth of literacy programs in some third world countries which include Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cuba and Peru etc.
The idea of libraries has been a part of educational institutions since the system of education itself exists. While the first schools were established as back as 3000 BC the earliest libraries were set up in the 21st century. Why people found the need to establish these institutes is reflected in today’s era as well. Taking the example of our own country libraries, like those found anywhere else in the world, function as a warehouse of knowledge. Here the literate self can come and embark on a timeless and never ending journey for the acquisition of knowledge. These play an important and supplementary role to what our educational institutes have to offer, that is, complete knowledge with literate individuals conversant with latest information with knowledge of historical intellectual achievements. Unluckily many of our schools and colleges do not have a remotely laudable collection of books. Whether this is a consequence of the low literacy rate in our country or the scarce number of books contribute to the literacy rate is debatable. Nevertheless the need for setting up libraries to increase the literate population should be considered as one of the first steps to progressing as a nation. As mentioned earlier more literate people lead to more money earning occupational opportunities. While these educated individuals can raise their own standard of life and of those around them, such people are also a source of foreign income to our country when they go abroad to earn. Therefore an improved system of education which like the west stresses upon the frequent visits to libraries would help in producing better skilled manpower. The research oriented study pattern of the western educational system itself encourages the use of libraries. We on the other hand have yet to realize the gravity of the poorness of our educational system. This along with the fact that only few major cities in our country, in contrast to some first world countries where every town has a sizable library, have recognizable public libraries ought to make us realize the measures we need to take.
Many of us still have a long way to go in order to grasp the advantages of going to libraries as an individual, a community, a nation. The study of our religion and history alone makes us associate the past and present day dilemmas, let them be social, economic, religious or political. What the reader learns is nevertheless dependent on his or her own comprehension. Sadly we have not learned from our past for there exists a lack of interest in book reading as a habit and a greater dearth in libraries or establishments similar to libraries. But it need not be mentioned that the seeds of the reading habit and the resultant realization of the need and importance of libraries are initially sown at home by parents. An atmosphere conducive to gaining knowledge, the inspiration to gain expertise in different dimensions begins in the cradle. We as a nation have not either realized the deficiencies in our education system or have yet to notice the increasing weight that bears on our heads in the form of an immensely small number of libraries. But the picture may not be as bleak. For there are still people who sustain an appreciable personal collection of books but these book lovers are hard to come across now a days. Another channel of books that serves a fraction of the actual function of libraries are old book shops present in all capital cities but the pleasure of sitting in the calmness of the library is missing there. Here economy plays influence more than anything in this scenario. This perhaps explains the non existence of libraries in government schools and colleges. And in addition to what has been already said this elucidates the importance of libraries even further. Today schools are regarded as instruments of change and sizable investments. But if there are no libraries these changes are going to be very hard for us to achieve. Perhaps it will be easier to understand by drawing a comparison. While a French child studies Victor Hugo and La Fontane in his initial years of schooling our students are still swinging in the balance with respect to the language chosen for the curriculum. Libraries would be able to provide additional reading material that would alleviate the problem.
We as a nation need to stress upon ourselves the need for compulsory elementary education, and advocate the collection of educational statistics, adequate teacher training, adult education, the publication of textbooks, the sending of students abroad and last but not the least the establishment of libraries, museums and institutes. These institutes and libraries need to be financed by the government. Public library staff members should be especially trained to recommend books to users of particular age groups or with specific interests. In every community present in our country, local citizen groups and public officials ought to petition municipalities to direct public funds for the establishment of libraries to serve the public free of charge. These would be able to function as people’s universities where people of limited financial means could educate themselves at no cost to gain the knowledge and skills required to achieve upward mobility in society.
To sum up the exposition that libraries really are the beating heart of the nation, it is needless to say these establishments function as a source of information resources for everyday use by individuals for recreation and to support formal and informal education and lifelong learning. These have the capacity to offer safe and welcoming places for social contact and also free, unfiltered and equitable access to services and resources by all members in the community. In the broadest of terms the purpose of the library is to collect and preserve knowledge. The lack of either would lead a nation to disarray. Therefore these beating hearts of knowledge ought to be preserved as much as possible.
“The library connects us with the insight and knowledge,
painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds
that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from
the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us
without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own
contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species.
I think the health of our civilization , the depth of
our awreness about the underpinnings of our culture
and our concern for the future can all be tested by
how well we support our libraries”
Carl Sagan
About the Author