Man in search of Library

The curious-seeker in me has always gravitated towards libraries. This particular fascination of mine has been labelled as an oddity by people in my closest circles for a long time now.

Fine, whatever it is presumed to be but I am trying to get a sense here of why it is labelled as a nerdy thing to spend time in libraries, I mean c’mon libraries have so much more to offer beyond the books.

Point being, that libraries have always been palaces for people. I agree that digital data has made information available to all - anytime, anywhere. But hear me out, the holistic approach of getting data from books makes one hell of a difference from the fragment of knowledge we consume online.

Also, what these physical libraries offer to an individual and as well as to society is what the digital world craves for "THE SPACE". When I say space it's not just physical space, it’s the mental space for you to focus and be transfixed at that moment.

Libraries offer a space for discussions, a chance to meet people, book clubs (obviously), writer’s and reader’s groups, and the knowledge these libraries provide is beyond worth it, and that doesn’t even include the books.

On that note, I would like to recount my memories of the Libraries I visited over the years, libraries that are stretched like a town hall to the ones with just four walls. Each one has its own character

Local Library

I shifted to my hometown recently and it's just a decent town in its transition period where mom-and-pop shops are being converted into supermarkets. It also has shared spaces like the library and a public park, now this part interests me more.

The library I've been visiting in this town for the past week is a pretty small one with just the SPACE, comfortable chairs and a few local edition newspapers. Most importantly it was maintained by the aspirants preparing for the Group exams and Government exams.

These guys create that environment for you, their relentless dedication echoes in this space, and their success journey starts in these very own four walls. Sharing space with these guys is what makes me visit this library again.

LPU library

I did my graduation from LPU, Punjab and this place is known for its infrastructure, it has a three-floor central library, it is the first time I have seen anything like that. That’s not it, apart from the central library, each Department had an individual library filled with respective subject books.

The most likeable thing for me about it and the thing that made me spend my winters and summers after college hours in them is their timings, the central library is open up to 12 pm, Air conditioned and to top it all the Wi-Fi connection over there is blazing fast.

I still recall how “Pehla Nasha Pehla Khumar” reverbs in these walls, brimming with tender love stories, after all, this isn't an unusual place for a college romance and I am from mechanical school so that by definition makes me a spectator, poor me.

JNTU Library

I pursued my M. Tech in JNTU, KAKINADA and I spent my time more in the central library than I did in my academic classes.

Unlike any other Government academic libraries I have been to, this one is well funded and has very good amenities like Wifi and PC access. Which I can say I made pretty good use of. For sure, it had all the academic books and also I was able to access weeklies like the Economic times, day to day newspapers in Telugu and English.

Remember those Digit demystify books? the small books of big thoughts, my favourite of all. I had a great time exploring them more importantly dusting off the web cobbs I must say, they are hardly touched by anyone over there. Little guys, I feel sorry for them, I should have smuggled them by end of my semester.

ISRO Library

When I was doing my M. Tech project at ISRO, I had temporary access to the Library over there, every day during lunch breaks and whenever my guide leaves for a site visit, I would sneak to the Library and spend my time there.

For someone who likes to get lost in the Rocketry subject that seemed like a one-stop destination. You will have Aerospace magazines, ISRO articles, and core subject books from various authors and all of these are very rare to find and even if you do they aren't affordable.

China library

I have been to Shenzhen, China on a business visit and I happened to visit the library on one of the weekends. This place is massive, no less than a football field and it is surprisingly silent over there, people strictly maintained the library etiquette.

I don't understand a bit of mandarin but the silence at this unimaginable massive library made me feel like - silence is something that is a universal language.

I hardly came across any English books over there. I even found a book that is printed with Ganapathi Log and it is in Chinese. That’s not it, this place also has an art exhibition, a space museum, and a space designed for kids to hangout.

Book Magic Library

Book Magic Library, Visakhapatnam. I used to visit this library every alternate Saturday evening to attend the reading sessions. Our reading choices are different but the end idea of exchanging thoughts has emerged well.

It always felt like the air in this library was just full of the ideas that everyone who ever passed through was having at the time. I had a great time meeting the curious bunch and having those simulation sessions and I also happened to present my first book review of my favourite book, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

Seriously, libraries are amazing.  It used to annoy me once when they had the "quiet" policy, but now I see them as incredible community hubs. Libraries need our love. Go visit yours if you haven't lately.

Lastly, I would like to share a snippet from the podcast I tuned to recently.

Books Don't Have Legs

One day in October 1938, Japanese enemy planes started to attack Guangdong province in China.

The people hurried home to pack their belongings and prepare to flee. A 40-year-old librarian named Du Dingyou didn't rush home, he wanted to save something that he felt was bigger than his life- 300,000 books. So he actually ordered his subordinates to stay behind and pack them.

Three hundred thousand books - philosophy, poetry, paper records of past dynasties. These books were thread-bound and sewn together. All were original manuscripts.

The books that fit into the boxes they took with them. And he said, whatever we can't handle, seal them in the basement with concrete. Some of the people working for him questioned him. Shouldn't we have saved the basement for the refugees who will soon be flooding the city?

His response?

Humans will always be clever enough to escape, but books don't have legs. They can't very well grow legs and take themselves away, now can they?