As summer catches up with us in Oman and we gradually move indoors from the calming autumn and winter days, the natural recourse will be to fall back on digital screens for entertainment and education.
This is where libraries can play a crucial role. Traditionally, libraries have been spaces for storage of books and any other kind of written material, including manuscripts and dusty research dissertations.
Gradually, they moved to keeping collections of films, language tapes and other learning material.
Today, libraries can be accessed from a distance, without having to travel to a physical space. While this is an important facility, it takes away from the feel of an immediate community and the sense of shared interests for which a library is valued.
People access libraries for information and to borrow books, but it is also a space for sharing learning and life experiences. Events like story-telling sessions, book clubs and even talks by subject experts contribute to the sense of a community that simply borrowing a digital book ever could.
We had begun to value the need for human connections after the pandemic took it all away from us for a while. Today, more than ever, the importance of spaces where people can meet to discuss small and consequential issues, including hobbies, wellness, and even finance, is becoming important. This is partly because we are aware of the dangers of increased digital presence, and also because the instinct to connect with others is just a human need.
Cultural exchange thrives in public places. Libraries around the world typically celebrate local heritage while also inviting new participants to share their traditions, stories and other cultural practices. Such an exposure promotes understanding and empathy, helping to bridge communities and increase intercultural understanding. For a newcomer, libraries especially aid in providing much needed resources and a feel for the community, helping them to adapt more easily to their new world.
Libraries do not have to be large buildings housing thousands of books. In fact, smaller setups are often more intimate and comforting for users. Neighbourhood libraries around the world are spaces where toddlers and their parents interact, exchanging tips on child rearing, or seniors make new connections after retirement.
Almost anybody can set up a library and with sufficient enthusiasm, it can grow organically to involve large parts of the community. All that is required is motivation and a very small physical space.
Of course, for any institution to survive, it must innovate and stay relevant. In a digital age, libraries play an important role in helping to bridge the knowledge gap by providing training and enhancing digital literacy to those who may have been left behind. This is also a way of understanding the needs of a specific community and keeping pace with it.
We need to look at libraries as being more than a repository of knowledge and as spaces for community regeneration. To this end, they need encouragement, and recognition of their central role in society.
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