week 4 of 2011
Joensuu, Finland

The days are SO FULL of ideas, events, activities, emotions, dreams and my brain’s digestion is not as fast as the things are happening. But this commitment to post once a week, without pre-awareness, is helping me to focus on the week’s relevant event to be shared.

In the week 4 of this year, I spent considerable amount of time at the university library. One of my favorite places, not only for research purposes as I have mentioned ealier.  But imagine, each library contains the ideas, life, knowledge, fantasy and much more of thousands of humans, from around the world, who have live in so many different periods of time.  The book’s authors might be dead, but their voices are still alive through their creations. Libraries, for me, are magical places.

By coincidence, in these days I also got impressed of the threat that some libraries have around the world. In this case, UK. I can’t believe it honestly. Decision makers in UK are contemplating to close libraries. People is protesting as we can read here. I found very interesting the article of Pullman expressing that decision makers do not really understand the value of libraries. I fully agree with him!

Books  support individuals to change their lives. Unlimited of examples support that claim, as the one I posted some time ago with William Kamkwamba. Books are good friends, they guide us and helps us to think, which supports in turn a life long learning process. This is not only MY personal opinion, it is a fact. In 2008 the UNESCO reported:

“The public libraries in the city play wider role to inculcate reading habits amongst youths and neo-literates. This study suggests that information literacy competency and lifelong education can also be imparted to marginalised groups through public library networks in the country”

Even that the report belongs to a study done in India, honestly I do not think is a exclusive statement for India.

Leaders and decision makers  in “develop” countries, wake up! Instead to take away libraries, we must promote more reading habits!

love books

Image source here