Several years ago, when I began working on my Master's in Library Science, (MLiS), if you had asked anybody who has known me for any length of time, they would not have been surprised to discover that I was working around books, once again.
But, I have noticed a disturbing trend. Books - you know - those paper bound tomes, with hard covers - are becoming an extinct species. Reading itself, and literacy are at all time highs in this country. e-Books - Kindles, Nooks, etc, are everywhere, and people access books on their electronic devices almost constantly. I know I do. I take my Kindle with me whenever we travel, as a Kindle is much lighter and easier to carry.
200 years ago, the ability to read, and the possession of books was considered to be a mark of wealth.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founders of this country, made his living with a printing press. He published newspapers, and a little gem entitled "Poor Richards Almanac" which literally changed the course of history.
Bibles. The word of God, handed down to man. Used to be that a big, ornate family Bible was the one valuable item in the possession of many families. People have died because they possessed one. For the longest time, it was considered heresy for anyone except the priests to actually hold and read the word of God. Many years ago, I was humbled by the opportunity to hold a martyr's Bible. Covered in blood outside and in, someone died for possessing that Bible and attempting to read the word of God for him or herself, without the priest telling him what the words meant, and what he should think about those words.
Do you remember Beauty and the Beast? Do you remember when Belle and Gaston are talking in the village square, and she tells him that she is reading a book? What is his response? Something along the lines of "Books are bad for women. The next thing you know, women are getting ideas and thinking for themselves."
Alas, our world has changed. We don't value books, and the knowledge the way we used to. We think of our books as something that we can easily dispose of or get rid of. I can pick up books at my local Goodwill for $1.50.
A young girl named Malala was shot in the head because she was going to school, and fighting for the right of young women to get an education and READ BOOKS.
The 200 young girls who were kidnapped in Nigeria were stolen away because they were in school. In school, learning to read, and getting new ideas.
The next time you're out and about, take a look around. Do you still have a bookstore in your community? Look in your library - how much space has been taken over by computers?
I understand that there's YouTube and articles on the Internet. However, nothing - no not anything - beats the feeling of holding a book in your hands, and reading the words of beauty and longing that some long dead author put to paper ages ago. It's a direct line to our past. Me, my book, and some author, having a conversation about a series of events or sharing knowledge about how to do something in the best possible way. Even better, when the action gets to the point where I MUST know what happens next, I can flip ahead in the book a few pages to make certain everyone is okay, and then I can flip back again.
Better yet, I never have to plug a hardback book into the wall in order to make it work.
I love the printed word.
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| image: www.dictionary.com on their Facebook page. |
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