I have a confession to make, a love letter of sorts. My apologies to all the ladies out there, this one’s not for you. This one is dedicated to all the underfunded, underappreciated bastions of knowledge out there.
I love libraries. Whew, that feels good to get on record.
It’s true. I can spend a whole Saturday thumbing my way through the random books I pluck from the neatly stacked rows of pages.
As a music major, I can be found downloading a whole stack of albums, while my eyes dig into the rich history found in the album covers.
As a journalism major, I can be found reading through newspapers from around the world or searching through microfilm for major historical events — seriously, it’s a blast.
And as for my curiosity, it often convinces me to spend at least some amount of time in the biography and autobiography section. I can delve deep into the intricate stories of historic figures.
But beyond the rows of books, there is a deeper meaning to why I am so in awe of these institutions.
It’s because a library is a humbling place.
It reveals the sheer scope of human knowledge in its most physical and tactile form.
From the intricate mathematical formulas, to the classic love novels, to the raw emotion of a Coltrane album, a library is a reflection of human achievement — and that’s a beautiful thing.
Libraries contain lifetimes of work and knowledge gathered and passed down to us to consume.
It’s a subconscious reminder of just how small we are in the world, and with a generation obsessed with selfies and all-about-me attitudes, it’s an important message to hear.
It’s the sort of physical representation of knowledge that is so powerful, something that is lost in the age of glowing screens and iPhones.
And isn’t that the irony of the modern world? Most of us have access to far more information in our pocket than the local library does down the street.
But instead of using devices to expand our knowledge, many of us instead increase our own self-worth and ego by documenting even the most mundane aspects of our lives.
Libraries represent a great lesson that is often missed in the 25-and-younger crowd: it is not all about you.
Really? Really.
It reminds us that we are only one tiny part of the whole human experience, and we should recognize it.
And as Vandals, we should take advantage of it. The University of Idaho Library is not only the largest in the state, but has approximately 1.4 million printed volumes.
If you find yourself in need of something to do on a Sunday afternoon, check out UI’s library. It’s beautiful.
My wonder toward libraries can be explained in one well-known sentence Calvin once said to Hobbes.
“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’d bet they’d live a lot differently.”
Well, the same awe and wonder applies to libraries.
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected]