When I walked into the community library this morning, a sudden realization hit me like a train: Libraries are important, no more. The library was mostly deserted. An old man, may be a retired government officer, was peering over the newspaper stand. A young couple, probably college students like myself, were giggling behind a rack of books. ‘What an idea of a date!’ I thought to myself. Was it the bad weather that kept people away? On second thoughts, I realized that the dilapidated state of the library building did not look very appealing either. How about the collection and condition of the books? Not as exciting and encouraging as you would expect. I realized that if I hadn’t been assigned the assignment I was working on, I would have never stepped into this library myself.

But, in this era of information and communication technology, why do we need libraries anymore? Are books simply an out-dated form of storing information and communicating our thoughts, ideas and fantasies with fellow human beings? Are library patrons a by-gone race of people, who used to dwell among the dark and dusty shelves of libraries many decades ago?

It’s reasonable to assume that Library Patrons are as old as the libraries themselves. But the first libraries did not look like the libraries today. The word ‘archive’ seems more suitable to describe these collections of records of mainly commercial dealings of the day. Two excellent examples are the clay tablets found in Sumer (modern Iraq) and the papyrus found in Egypt. Historians believe that the first library classification system was used by the Sumerians in Nippur and Nineveh as early as 1900 BC and 700 BC respectively. Personal libraries consisting of fiction and non-fiction books came into being in the 5th century, in Greece. The ancient Chinese set up one of the world’s first catalog in their libraries. These were written on fine silk and stored in silk bags. The Islamic world in the Middle East, as well as, in further away lands like Sicily, North Africa and even Spain, had well managed library systems of religious writings by 1000 AD. During Medieval age, Christian libraries were set up in monasteries across Europe. With the emergence of the first modern libraries, the ‘Golden Age of Libraries’ was reached between the 17th and 18th centuries. The invention of more efficient printing technologies, an upheaval in education, especially at university level, and a profound public interest in classical literature, culture and nationalism can be identified as some of the possible reasons for this reincarnation of libraries. The Bodleian Library at Oxford, the Mazarine Library in Paris and State Public Library at St. Petersburg were some of the most prominent libraries of the era.

But where do we stand today? With economies, the world over, plunging and governments minimizing their spending on public services like education and libraries, and with the invasion of more sophisticated technologies, do libraries really stand a chance?

Today, the world’s biggest library is the World Wide Web. “People don’t write anymore, they blog.”With the advancement of the internet learning, accessing information and expressing ideas have become easier and cheaper than ever before. But does this make the death of libraries inevitable.

The answer is “No!” With the right improvements and modifications, libraries can be equipped to face the challenges of the future. Adding DVD’s, audio CD’s, e-books and virtual catalogs to libraries is one step of improving the conditions of libraries. Giving them a face-lift by replacing old, shabby shelves and school furniture with state-of -the-art book racks and sofas is also a possible way of attracting more library patrons. But most importantly, the public must be motivated to read. The younger generations must be torn away from their addiction to the TV and computer games. The love of books must be rekindled in the hearts of humans. That’s exactly our mission.