There is this thing called the internet. I am sure you have used it a couple of times, or probably every single day. It is something that has made access to information a lot easier, and unfortunately, other sources of information almost irrelevant, like libraries—at schools or even public ones. People, especially teenagers, use the internet for everything, like a certain paper they need to research about, a novel they are reading for interest, or even answers for their homework. The library is turning out to be a place that collects piles and piles of dust. Libraries shouldn’t be a “by the way” place that people go to as a last option. A library is an important source of knowledge that students in school should embrace. Even though the “keep silent at all times” instruction inside the library might be annoying for students, it keeps one’s concentration level high, which is effective. School libraries are more than just a stack of books on shelves. One of the ways libraries still prove their relevance till now is the fact that they provide students with access to resources, regardless of home opportunities or constraints. Libraries offer students a quiet place where they can escape the demanding pressures of the outside world. Students go through a lot, ranging from friendship drama to trying to keep their grades above average. So when a school delivers a safe place to nurture academic excellence for a few hours a day without interruption, students should really take it upon themselves to use it. “Teachers always struggle to get students to study in the library. The worrying thing is finding out some of them haven’t even stepped in one. Students need to understand that not everything will be provided by the internet,” Bosco Otim, a Nu-Vision High School teacher, says. He goes on to say that there are ancient, precious books that provide essential information that students will never get to read. Why? Because they are too busy taking the ‘easy way out’. Otim talks about the essence of libraries. He says, “An area with no distraction, endless access to knowledge from all over the world and an opportunity to read beyond their years is just some of it.” One of the benefits of libraries is that they provide independent learning. When you are in a library, you are going to look for a specific book by yourself, pick out the necessary information on your own and manage your time wisely, all at once. This makes students responsible, and encourages them to fend for themselves. “I personally don’t see why it is such a big deal for us to be able to access the school library. We have our laptops that we can use to surf the internet that has about everything. The library would just make me sleepy,” Pamella Iliza, a student at St Ignatius School, says. Parents from all over probably dread the day their children find out about the internet. This is because they search for anything and everything there. And if they don’t find it, they assume that it doesn’t exist. That is not the case at all. Students should learn to dig deeper than the surface and get their hands dirty in search of information. “Our kids are entitled to their use of the internet, and the world clearly needs it, but they still need the old fashioned methodology of studying. There is nothing like the silence of a library,” says Yvonne Mbabazi, a parent. As much as the internet is a highly recommended and inevitable tool of access to information, the library has just as much information, or even more. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
