For the first three months of the spring semester this year, I spent my time studying abroad in England. I took two literature courses that absolutely changed my life and how I view literature as a whole. However, as I was checking out books from the campus library to use as primary sources for the essay I was writing for my final, I came to the startling realization that I couldn’t remember the last time I checked out a book.
Growing up, going to the library was all I used to do — it was a huge part of my childhood. When I was in preschool, my mom would sign me out early every Friday and take me to the library. We’d spend hours there reading and playing in the indoor play area, and we always checked out books. In my early and middle adolescent years, I’d spend so much time in the library, checking out books and even taking some of the classes they offered. Truthfully, the library is what sparked my love for reading and books and literature in general. It was a very integral part of my life and shaped who I am today.
When I realized how long it had been since I’d been in a library, let alone checked out a book, I couldn’t have been more disappointed. It made me sad that I had so readily abandoned an establishment that had been a pillar and there for me most of my life. I’d forgotten it, and I’d never want to forget something that was once so important to me.
In my later and recent adolescent years up until this point in my life, my love for reading and books never diminished, I just started buying them instead of borrowing them. As an author myself, I know there is so much value in that, especially in support of indie authors, but now more than ever is a time where we need to support our local public and non-public libraries too. Their funding is being cut, books are being banned, and the world of literature is changing for the worse. Supporting libraries is something we can all do to help put a stop to it.
Public libraries especially are extremely important to their communities because they offer classes, refuge, and learning tools and opportunities to those who don’t have it readily available for them. As a child, I did the summer reading challenge every single summer without fail, and that was just one of the many things my public library did to engage with the community while promoting reading and improving reading comprehension skills. It’s important that we support these educational efforts, especially in literature and reading comprehension, because we are living in a time of ignorance. Reading sheds light on history, truth, and so much more, and now more than ever, that’s what we need.
It feels a little discouraging as a young adult, seeing that there are not a lot of classes or events catered towards young adults at libraries, and it’s something that I would like to change. Us young adults need help! We need education on things that weren’t taught to us in school, like taxes and finances, and other adult things that we are expected to figure out ourselves. I believe it’s something that libraries should think more about implementing. They do great at targeting the children and seniors with events and classes, but us young adults are almost always left out of the loop, and that’s why there is a striking absence of young adults using the library as a resource. It seems that at a certain age, it almost stops becoming one.
Us young adults, especially those of us who are Gen Z, have the power to make this change. We have the power to take back the education that should have been given to us, and why not start that journey by going to your local public library? They want to help, they want us to use their resources, we just need to ask. Libraries are a public service that everyone should be able to enjoy, no matter age, race, or gender; reading and education is for everyone.
I encourage you, especially the young adults, to go get a library card if you don’t have one. Check out some books, take some classes, and if nothing interests you, inquire about creating something that will. Libraries are pillars of communities; they are there for you, and it is so important that right now we use and support one of the biggest resources we have as a society to prevent it being taken away from us.